Wicked Games
by Girlblunder
Summary: <html><head></head>AU, eventual SwanQueen, some StableQueen. Emma Swan leaves her old job as a PI to take up a similar position at the more formal MBI. There she meets Daniel Boyd and his antagonistic business partner Regina Mills. As she gets caught in the web of history between Daniel and Regina, her new job becomes more complicated than she ever dreamed.</html>
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: I do not own OUaT or its characters. This will probably be one of my more intense AUs, so the M rating will be necessary. This story is inspired by the Regina and Emma of season 1.

As a warning, there will be a smattering of (non-graphic) m/f action in addition to (graphic) f/f. You've been warned.

* * *

><p>The sunlight bathed the modern waiting room in warm light through floor to ceiling windows, bringing a more comfortable feel to the cool grays and blues of the glossy chairs and minimalist end tables.<p>

Emma straightened her collared blouse nervously as she waited for her name to be called. She glanced around at the few other applicants and wondered if they'd received a personal invitation like she had.

She held a sleek silver business card in one hand, her thumb idly brushing over the embossed logo.

_MBI – Thorough. Discrete._

Beneath the official logo was a small handwritten note in a flowing, slightly messy script. She contemplated the name and number, easily recalling the day she'd been given the card.

It had taken her a few weeks to come to a decision. She'd been fairly happy with the small office she'd been working at as a private investigator but, after some digging, her boss had urged her to at least give the larger firm a shot. There hadn't been a lot of information available on the company other than some financial information and the vague details provided on the well-maintained website.

MBI catered to a much higher-end clientele than she was used to, but the benefits alone had made her pause.

The hard edge of the card bit into her skin a little as she held it tighter. It was far from a sure thing. Her criminal history and somewhat unstable past would probably work against her. She focused on the handwritten name yet again. Was Daniel Boyd a high enough level employee to even make the kind of invitation he had?

"Emma Swan?" a soft voice called out.

Emma immediately stood, straightening her black trousers and smoothing a hand down the emerald fabric of her blouse. She expelled a breath, her eyes turning to the source of the voice.

A tall brunette woman in a pressed oxford shirt and long skirt was waiting with a polite smile, her honey-brown hair pulled back into a perfect bun. She held a clipboard to her chest, and pulled it away slightly to make a note as Emma approached.

Burnt sienna eyes focused on her briefly, before the slender woman turned sharply. "Right this way, Miss Swan." She didn't wait for a response, her step quick as she led the blonde woman back down a long hallway, heels only making a low sound against the thick gray carpet.

The walls were all opaque glass here, shiny metal handles every few paces denoting different offices. They didn't stop until they reached the very end, and Emma noted that the two corner offices here must be quite large.

Emma waited as her guide stepped forward to tap softly against the door on the right. D. Boyd was clearly emblazoned in gold lettering.

The assistant stepped in quickly, closing the door behind her. Emma frowned at the gesture, and let her eyes wander curiously over to the other door.

"R. Mills," she muttered to herself. She'd hoped she could uncover more about the firm before approaching it, but the lack of information had intrigued her more than the potential pay bump.

At the size of the offices, she could only assume Daniel Boyd was indeed high enough in the company to make the kind of invitation he'd made.

A jolt of excitement coursed through her veins as the tall brunette opened the door again and stepped out, polite smile in place. "Mr. Boyd will see you now."

She managed an awkward smile in response before stepping through the still open entrance.

A familiar dark haired man was seated behind a large ebony desk, a large, slim monitor barely taking up a fraction of available desktop space.

Sapphire eyes glanced up as she approached the modern guest chairs, and a genuine smile lit up the attractive man's face.

"Ah, Miss Swan!" he exuberantly greeted her as he stood, one hand pressing against his charcoal-and-silver pinstriped tie and the other extended in an invitation to a handshake.

Emma stepped forward and accepted the hand, glad that she'd been careful to dry the perspiration from her own hands regularly.

"Mr. Boyd," she returned a little stiffly, unsure of how to proceed.

"Please, sit." he gestured with his left hand to the comfortable looking chairs as he settled back down into his own impressive onyx office chair.

She sat quietly, eyes focused on his face to try and gauge his mood. Surely he'd seen her resume before agreeing to the interview, and she couldn't help but wonder why she'd made it this far through the hiring process.

The room was quiet as they regarded each other for a few heartbeats. There was a twinkle in blue eyes as he waited for her to speak.

Emma pursed her lips and squinted a little as she tried to withhold her natural curiosity.

"Okay, why am I here?" the question finally burst forth.

Mr. Boyd looked amused. "A job interview, remember?"

She glared in response, "Really? You know what I mean."

"No, I don't." The amused smile now resembled more of a playful smirk.

Emma sighed. "You _have_ read my resume, haven't you?"

"You wouldn't have gotten an interview if I hadn't. I wouldn't want to waste time for either of us." He had grown serious as he spoke.

A sigh escaped Emma without permission, and she just barely managed to refrain from rolling her eyes. "My criminal history. I can't figure out how I scored an interview at a place like this with a criminal history."

His azure eyes were intent on her face as she finished speaking. "It's a juvenile record." He turned to face his computer screen for a moment. "I was impressed with the interrogation I witnessed you execute. It was pretty remarkable. You have keen instincts about people, and we could use someone like you here."

It had been a while since Emma had gone to a job interview, but she was still pretty certain this one was highly unorthodox. She couldn't help but be suspicious.

"So, how many PIs do you have on staff?"

"Well, first of all, we refer to them as Information Specialists here for the sake of discretion. In answer to your question, we currently employ six full-time ISes. We also utilize a few freelancers from time to time."

"Business is doing well then, I guess?"

Mr. Boyd's face was unreadable for a moment. "Our reputation keeps us with plenty of job opportunities. This brings me to a key point of potential employment here; if you decide you want to work for MBI you'll need to sign a non-disclosure agreement in regards to sensitive information you may encounter for and/or during business hours."

Emma hummed at the revelation. She'd already considered the fact that she'd probably have to sift through a bevy of legal documentation to work at a place like this.

"Before we get to that, I have a few questions about working here in general."

A small smile played at the dark haired man's lips. "Alright, shoot."

* * *

><p>Emma felt a little light-headed as she stepped out of the office with a thick sheaf of papers. A warm hand was clasped on her shoulder as her new boss guided her to the hallway.<p>

"Just breathe, Emma. You'll do fine." Azure eyes were twinkling again as he spoke to her.

She snorted in response. "Are you always this optimistic Mr. Boyd?"

He scowled playfully at her, "I could swear I told you to call me Daniel."

"Daniel, right." The corners of her mouth twitched as she tried to resist his unerring cheerfulness.

As they stood a little awkwardly, the door to the right opened quietly. A petite brunette stepped out, face hidden by straight, shoulder-length sable locks as the woman shuffled through some paperwork.

Emma tried not to stare as she took in the sharp black pencil skirt and matching blazer. Heels that high would have her begging for mercy within an hour.

The woman looked up and Emma shifted her eyes away with a little blush. Perfectly sculpted features and full, pouty, red lips had her shifting subtly on her feet.

"Daniel," Emma bit her lip hard at the low velvety voice, nearly drawing blood. "I was just going through the applicants you're processing, and I have a question about—"

Daniel dropped his hand from Emma's shoulder and stepped over to address the onyx haired woman more directly. "No worries about that, Regina. I've already decided who I'm hiring."

Calculating umber eyes glanced at Emma and observed the uncomfortable stance and new clothes. "Oh, you did, did you?" A dark brow rose, and there was a note of caution in her voice.

The tall man cleared his throat as he turned to speak to Emma. "Emma, why don't you go ahead and go back to the waiting room. Speak to Astrid about those additional forms and your security badge before you go."

His smile was still friendly, but her eyes narrowed slightly at the hint of nerves he was trying to hide. She hesitated only briefly, glancing again at the petite brunette woman, who was now frowning.

"Sure thing Daniel," she finally uttered before starting her trek down the hallway.

She wasn't quite out of hearing when she clearly heard "You hired _Emma Swan_?" hissed in a less than pleasant way.

Emma winced a little at the sharpness in her tone. That kind of distrust and judgment had been more what she'd expected with the resume she'd submitted. Although she had a fairly respectable job history, the year stint she'd done at a juvenile detention center for larceny was usually a red flag for more formal firms such as MBI.

If the well dressed woman was the R. Mills that belonged to that spacious office, and Emma was fairly certain that the R stood for Regina, she couldn't help but worry a little.

She had signed a preliminary contract with Daniel, although she had more paperwork to review with the MBI's administrative assistant Astrid. Emma hoped the barely dry ink would keep her employment safe from the obviously displeased Regina Mills.

Despite her discomfort at working with such a formal group, the pay and benefits would be a great improvement for both her and her son's life. She would do whatever she could to provide her son a better life.

Regina Mills would just have to suck it up. Emma was pretty set at keeping this job after a long discussion with Daniel.

Astrid greeted her with a soft smile as she approached the rounded black desk situated in one corner of the waiting room.

* * *

><p>"Are you out of your mind? She has a criminal history!" Regina was furious.<p>

Daniel rolled his eyes. "It was a non-violent crime, and she was barely seventeen. Besides, you haven't seen the way she handles people. She's like a human lie detector."

Brown eyes narrowed as Regina considered his words. "Where did you meet her?"

"Is that really important?" Daniel gave her a faux innocent smile and avoided looking her in the eye.

"Daniel," she spoke his name in a familiar warning.

"It might have been in a bar in one of worst parts of town. That's what made it impressive. She got this three hundred pound biker to give up one of his buddies. Do you know how hard it is to get one of those guys to be honest, let alone rat out a friend?"

His words were met with a deadpan look and pursed lips. Regina crossed her arms over her chest as she attempted to reign in her ire. "Tell me she hasn't signed any contracts yet."

"I could tell you that, but it wouldn't exactly be the truth," his grin was overly large, bordering on an oddly pleased grimace.

"Daniel!" Regina paced a few steps and ran her free hand through her hair. "I really hate when you do things like this." She was facing away from him as she clenched her teeth. "The moment she screws up, and with a history like hers you know she will, I want her gone."

Daniel stepped forward to place his hands gently on her tense shoulders. "Relax, Gina. Give her a chance. I have a good feeling about this."

"Oh, I'll bet you do." Regina was glad she was still facing away from him. She was fairly certain Emma Swan had been hired simply for her looks. Daniel did have certain tastes, after all. A grimace swept over her face momentarily.

A silent sigh escaped her as she tried to let such thoughts go. Masculine hands started to gently rub at the stiff muscles of her shoulders and neck, and she had to willfully withhold a groan.

"That's right, just relax. Things will work out." The tall man's smile was warm as he saw his best friend visibly loosen up. He leaned forward to press a kiss into her hair after a moment.

"I swear by all that is holy that if hiring her comes back to bite us in the ass I'm splitting the firm up and disavowing all knowledge of you." Her voice was relaxed despite the harshness of her words.

"That's what I love about you 'Gina – you're always such an optimist." Daniel's cheerful smile was back when Regina turned to shoot him a glare.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

"As many times as you want, I suppose. It would probably be easier if you just stopped telling me 'cause you know I'm never gonna stop." Blue eyes twinkled merrily at her.

Regina studied him a few moments, face expressionless. "I hate you," she enunciated carefully after a few moments.

Daniel stepped forward to sweep her up into a tight hug. "Aw, I hate you too." He made loud kissing noises as he nuzzled her cheek.

Warmth suffused Regina's cheeks, but she allowed the familiar contact briefly before stepping back to smack Daniel hard on the shoulder. "Be professional at the office, dear. I'd hate to have to file a sexual harassment claim."

"You always know how to make a guy's heart go pitter-pat." Daniel fluttered his eyes coquettishly.

Regina laughed in spite of herself. "Are you coming over for dinner tonight?"

Daniel visibly winced. "I'd love to, but I have a business dinner scheduled with Mel."

"How unfortunate, I'm making Fettuccine Alfredo." She shot him a sly glance. "With shrimp."

He gave her a horrified look. "You're making my favorite on a night I'm stuck having dinner with Cruella? You're so mean."

Regina only smirked, turning to go back into her office. She paused just before opening her door and glanced back at a moping Daniel.

"And I'm not mean. I'm _evil_." She stepped into her office before her friend could reply.

She stormed over to her desk as soon as she cleared the door, slapping the stack of resumes she'd been perusing down on the desk with far more force than necessary. Technically Daniel was in charge of all the hiring because he had a natural rapport with most people, but usually they discussed potential employees together before he made a pick.

His delay in getting the stack of resumes to her now made sense, and she shook her head. Of course he had met the trollop in a bar and had become infatuated with her _skills_. She sneered at the thought.

An olive toned hand made it's way to idly play with the ring hanging from her necklace as she stared out of the full length windows.

Daniel might have gotten away with hiring Emma Swan, but sooner or later the new hire's performance would come under her review. She would not be lenient.

* * *

><p>Emma groaned as she entered the apartment, tiredly kicking off her low-heeled pumps as soon as she'd locked and bolted the door.<p>

She relaxed back against the cool wood for a few moments, trying to mentally gather herself. Filling out all the paperwork had taken hours, but she had a shiny new security badge and a definite start date for work.

A smile grew on her face as she thought of her new salary. Working for Lucas Inc hadn't provided a steady income, and sometimes things had been a little rough. She didn't regret her time with Genie Lucas and her granddaughter though. They'd taught her a lot about the business, and given her a chance when a lot of other people couldn't be bothered.

Emma probably would have never left the small office if Genie hadn't all but shoved her out the door. _I'll miss you girl, but you got a kid to worry about. Don't be a stranger. You're always welcome for Sunday dinner._

She could picture Genie's face with the words, the spectacles and flowery print dresses incongruous with the woman's hardened demeanor and knack for getting to the core of truth in most situations.

"Ma, you home?"

Emma straightened from the door, a little energy restored at the her son's voice. "Sure am, Hen. Pull out the take out menus and pick 'cause I got the job."

Her son came skidding out in view of the entryway on socked feet, a bright smile on his face. "Really? That's awesome!"

A chuckle erupted as she observed him sliding on the wood floor. "Don't bust your head open or anything, kid."

Henry immediately halted, smile still very much in place. "I'm just happy for you Ma!"

"I'm happy too. Now, come on. Grab the take out menus. I'm way too wiped to cook. I promise we'll go out this weekend to have a real celebration." She tugged off her wool coat as she spoke and tossed it on the entryway table.

The floor was incredibly cold to her nylon covered feet, but she enjoyed the sensation as she moved over to the small living room.

Henry was off with an excited yelp, returning in less than a minute with an armful of menus that he deposited on the long coffee table in front of the couch.

"You feel like anything in particular?" he politely asked as he organized the menus based on his personal preference.

"Nah, whatever you want bud." Emma had a strong suspicion about what her son would pick and had no objections whatsoever.

"Sweet! I'm thinking a deep dish from Conans!" Henry was practically drooling at the thought. "Savage, hold the anchovies?" His hazel eyes were shining with excitement as he waited for her response, one hand holding up the bright menu for the pizza place in question.

"You know it. Call it in." Emma laughed as he practically danced over to rarely used wireless phone. Part of her felt a little guilty as she pictured the large pizza and she couldn't help but add, "Make sure you get the wheat crust."

Laughter was her only reply, but Henry nodded.

He thought it was hilarious when his mom pretended to be healthy.

Emma made her way over to the refrigerator as he put the call in, tugging out a bottle of apple juice. Her eyes lit up as she spotted a few slices of lemon meringue pie, and she happily pulled out two glasses to pour the juice into as she waited for Henry to finish on the phone.

He stepped over a few minutes later. "Forty-five minutes at least, Peter said."

She nodded silently as she sipped from her juice, pushing the other glass in Henry's direction. "Where'd the pie come from?"

"Oh!" Henry smiled and rubbed at the thin line of juice on his upper lip with the neck of his t-shirt. "Mrs. Hubbard gave it to me when I checked in after getting home from school."

"Really? She's so awesome. We'll have to go have tea with her some time soon in thanks." They shared another smile as they spoke quietly about their days and waited for dinner to arrive.

Mrs. Hubbard lived across the hall and had babysat Henry for free since they'd moved to the building a few years before. Because Henry was nearly twelve now and rather mature for his age (and had pleaded with Emma for a week), she'd agreed to let him stay alone in the apartment as long as he abided by the rules set out for him.

For the last two months of his six month trial period he'd been doing an excellent job at showing his mom that she could trust him. Both Emma and Mrs. Hubbard were happy that he was growing into such a fine young man, though Emma knew the elderly neighbor was probably a little lonelier for the change.

Solid knocks against the door pulled Emma away from conversation from her son, and she snagged her purse to tug out the money. She gave a peek through the peephole before greeting the familiar deliveryman.

"Hey Emma," the tall teen greeted her with a polite smile. "I got your usual."

Emma accepted the large box hungrily, the smell already distracting her. She handed him a twenty. "Thanks Felix. Keep the change."

"Sweet, thanks Ems!" He gave her an unusually buoyant wave as he stepped away with a bounce to his step.

She chuckled at the usually taciturn teenager's happy response. At least her good mood was rubbing off on the right people.

"Alright kid, let's pop a movie in and destroy this thing."

Henry cheered loudly in response to her declaration.

* * *

><p>The doorbell reverberated through her loft again, and Regina scowled as she tugged the belt at her waist into a firm knot. She was going to kill her doorman for letting in whatever miscreant was incessantly ringing her bell.<p>

She flicked on her hallway light and spared a glance at the monitor to the right. Her brows rose as she took in the sight of a mussed Daniel leaning to one side of her doorjamb. The money spent on her security camera was a good investment.

Regina took a deep breath to steady herself as she opened the door. She started speaking before it was even halfway open. "Daniel, do you realize what time it is?"

Daniel gave her his usual disarming smile as he stepped toward her. "No. I missed you, though. Won't you let me in?"

Brown eyes stared at him a moment before Regina slowly pulled the door open wider. "I thought we agreed you'd stop doing this?"

The tall man immediately stepped in, softly closing the door behind him. His gaze turned to her as he stepped into her personal space.

"Doing what?" he murmured as he leaned in to press a tender kiss to her lips.

Regina sighed into the kiss, cursing herself for her weakness. As the kiss ended she noted that their bodies were firmly pressed together, Daniel's strong arms securely wrapped around her.

"This," she nodded her head down at their touching bodies.

"What? Friends kiss." He gave her a wink as he leaned in again.

Their mouths and tongues tangled together for a few heated moments before Regina pulled away again, softly panting. "I'm fairly certain friends don't kiss like _that_."

"Well, we're special friends."

Regina scoffed at the statement, and she eyed him critically. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Who pays attention to such trivial things?" His eyes were bright and his speech clear.

"At least tell me you didn't drive." She would call him a cab and kick him out if he had.

"Nope, took a cab. I remember what happened last month." Daniel's eyes were staring at her lips, and she licked them reflexively at the intensity of his gaze.

She stepped back slowly and tugged the belt of her robe loose. "So you _can_ be taught new things, good to know."

Daniel was nodding avidly as he followed the movement of her hands.

Regina teasingly ran her hands along the opening to the satin garment, the black lace of her nightgown just barely visible. She halted and gave him a stern glance. "Go drink some water, then meet me upstairs."

"Gina," his mouth snapped closed at her displeased look. "Regina," he started again, "you know this doesn't change anything, right?"

Her head tilted and she gave him an even look. "I know. You can always sleep on the couch if you prefer, dear." She turned swiftly on her bare heel, her creamy robe fluttering wildly with the movement.

Daniel stepped to the kitchen and hurriedly filled a glass with water, gulping down the fluid greedily as his eyes wandered in the direction of the second level.

The glass was left on the counter a moment later as he made his way up the stairs to the master bedroom of the loft, one hand loosening his tie.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma gave the security guard a tense smile as he scanned her security badge. Part of her was scared that the badge wouldn't work, the hand held device surely knowing as well as everyone else that she was out of place in such an upscale building.

The scanner gave an approving sound, the indicator light blinking green. The security guard returned her smile, and she sighed with relief as she made her way to the elevator bank.

She shifted from foot to foot as she waited for the elevator to arrive, one hand clenched at her side. Her nails stung the skin of her palm, but the uncomfortable sensation kept her grounded as her gut churned.

The loud ding of the lift arriving startled her out of her discomfort. She inhaled a breath as she braced herself for her first official work day. She wouldn't be given any serious assignments or passwords just yet; today was about familiarizing herself with the firm's policies while she waited for her background check to clear.

Astrid had been cheerful, explaining that as long as Emma had been honest on her resume and hadn't neglected to inform the company of any pertinent data, things would be just fine.

Emma jolted as she realized she'd almost missed her floor while thinking. Hurriedly she stepped out of the elevator, glancing back to give the impatient businessman in the car with an uncomfortable smile.

A few strides brought her to the now familiar waiting room, and Astrid glanced up to greet her with a warm smile as she approached the desk.

"Good morning Emma," Astrid boisterously greeted.

"Morning Astrid," her own greeting was more subdued, though she did manage to squeeze out a small smile.

Sensing the blonde's discomfort, Astrid stood and walked around the large desk. "Don't worry Emma, you'll be fine. I'm going to set you up in your new office today, and then you'll need to go through the policy book." The slender brunette looked a little apologetic as she reminded Emma of the last part. It had been quite clear to the administrative assistant that paperwork was not Emma's favorite thing.

Emma managed to keep the smile on her face despite her displeasure at the thought of going over more boring policies. At least she would get her own office. A genuine smile grew on her face as she recalled her setup at Lucas Inc. Genie had her own tiny office, of course. Emma had shared the slightly larger, open part of the office with Ruby, Genie's ebullient granddaughter. Space had been tight, but it had worked.

She was brought from her thoughts as Astrid lightly tapped her arm with a thick collection of papers. "Just follow me Emma."

Emma nodded, and the administrative assistant turned to guide her down a short hallway that only had one door on either side of the hallway, and one at the far end.

"These offices are a little smaller, but I don't think you'll have any problems." Astrid spoke quietly as she opened the door to the left, stepping in and keeping the door wide so Emma could follow.

As she stepped through the office entrance, Emma silently agreed with Astrid's assessment. The office was a little less than half the size of Daniel's, but that left plenty of room for an impressively sized desk, office chairs, a few empty shelves, and a set of file cabinets.

A new computer was situated on the middle of the dark-stained desk, a protective layer of packing plastic still around the monitor and slim tower.

Astrid stood in the room expectantly as she waited for a reaction from Emma.

"Yeah, this will be great, thanks." She flashed a quick but sincere smile at the waiting woman.

The brunette walked over to the desk. "If anyone needs to contact you, they'll most likely use the office phone." Her hand brushed softly against the hard plastic of a modern gray phone. "Dial nine if you want to make any outbound calls. There's a small cheat sheet for the extensions there for you if you need to contact me or anyone else here."

Emma nodded, and Astrid continued, "The computer is all hooked up and ready to go, you just won't have access to any of our databases quite yet. You have a new company email address set up for official use, and you'll be prompted to change your password on your first log in, and again every thirty days. Any questions?" She stood placidly, one arm still holding the sizable stack of papers.

"No, I think that covers it for now. I know how to reach you if something comes up." A pale hand reached up to impatiently shove loose blonde hair out of her face.

"Excellent. I'll just leave these here for you," she set the paperwork down prominently on the middle of the desktop.

Astrid gave her one last smile before leaving Emma to her new office.

The room was quiet for a few moments as Emma absorbed the feel of her new digs. The corners of her mouth gradually tugged up into a smile. This office made everything so much more real. She'd have to see about bringing at least a few personal items.

She didn't like clutter, but a handful of items would make her feel like the space was really her own. The thought filled her with pride. For most of her life she hadn't been given much. Everything had been fought and scraped for, sometimes leaving her bleeding and tired. It wasn't until Henry that she finally felt that maybe she could do something to leave her own little mark on the world.

A wry chuckle escaped her at the thought. When she'd discovered she was pregnant while incarcerated, she'd thought her shitty world had just gotten shittier. She'd been really close to giving him up for adoption, but when the time came she just couldn't do it.

As soon as she'd seen his little face, she'd known that _he_ was what her life could and would be about. She would give him a much better life than she'd been given. Her son would have love and opportunities.

She spared a thought for one of the volunteers that had helped her get her feet on the ground after she'd left her stint at juvie.

_The road you've chosen isn't easy, but I know you can do it Emma. You're the only person who is one hundred percent in that little guy's corner. As long as you're serious about taking care of him, I know you'll find a way. You're a fighter._

The older gentleman had been part of a program one of her counselors at the detention facility had suggested. She wished she'd kept in touch so she could share just how far she'd come. He'd been right.

This job was just the next step in the silent promise she'd made to Henry and herself.

It was with this thought in mind that she looked at the menacing stack of documents detailing the firm's policies. She sighed, but dutifully took a seat behind the desk to start poring over the excessively complicated language.

* * *

><p>The sound of a pen scratching against paper was the only sound in Regina's office as she made notes on a yellow legal pad. A frown marred her features as she went over the documents again, tapping her fountain pen against her lip in frustration.<p>

She set her pen down and picked up her office phone, getting Astrid on the line a moment later.

"Astrid," her tone was brusque, "have Miss Swan come to my office as soon as possible."

The phone was clicked back into place before the other woman could respond, and the frown remained on Regina's face as she flipped through more pages of the documents Emma had been required to fill out after she'd signed her initial contract.

She made a few more notes as she waited, glancing at the time on her computer monitor from time to time.

Low voices sounded outside her door, and a vein throbbed in her forehead as they continued for a few minutes. She rose swiftly from her throne-like office chair and swept over to the door to swing it open.

Daniel and Emma were sharing a laugh in front of her door, both sets of eyes sparkling as they shared some inside joke.

The frown deepened on Regina's face. "If you're quite finished Miss Swan, I did say _as soon as possible_." Her glare flicked back and forth between the two, the smiles all but gone from their faces.

The tall man made an apologetic noise, and thwacked Emma playfully on the arm with the file folder he was holding. "Better not keep 'Gina waiting any longer." He shot Emma a wink before walking further down the hallway, opening one of the many doors and disappearing from view.

Emma gave Regina a sheepish smile and shrugged. Regina scowled and impatiently held her door open, indicating Emma should go first.

The blonde ducked in, awkwardly rubbing her head with one hand. She hadn't wanted to upset Regina, but when Daniel had engaged her in conversation she hadn't wanted to blow him off. He was her boss, and he had provided her with a pretty big opportunity by hiring her.

She waited for Regina to walk around the desk before sitting in one of the two steel-gray chairs. She shifted a little as the tried to get more comfortable, but most of her discomfort had more to do with the unpleasant look on the dark haired woman's face than the chair.

"Miss Swan," Regina started sharply as she gave the blonde a stern look. "I don't appreciate your lack of respect for my time."

"I'm sorry, but Dani—"

"Furthermore, it seems that you are incapable of properly filling out paperwork that is _required_ for your employment here." Regina took great pleasure at the annoyed look on Emma's face.

Emma gave her a sour look. "Excuse me?"

"If only," she muttered under her breath, not really caring if Emma heard her or not. She continued before Emma could speak again, "You failed to provide information in a number of areas in regards to your personal history."

Emma inhaled a sharp breath, mentally counting to ten and just barely managing not to roll her eyes. "A lot of that stuff was marked as optional. Besides, you have my resume, and the background check should fill any gaps." She managed a semblance of civility, her voice remaining impressively even.

Regina stood and strode around the desk, leaning back against it as she thrust some paperwork at Emma. "Look again; only _one_ section here is marked as optional. As for the rest of your declaration, this is necessary for our files and serves to further establish your character for our records. Surely even you can understand how this process works."

Pale hands clenched momentarily before Emma accepted the familiar documents and looked over the form in question. She gritted her teeth when she realized the infuriating woman was correct.

Her mouth worked silently for a moment. "You're right. I'll fill this out and return it to you by the end of the day." Emma moved to stand, but was halted by a solid word.

"No."

Regina crossed her arms, the movement rustling the fabric of her houndstooth patterned dress.

Emma's viridian eyes spared a small glance to the impressive cleavage on display despite her anger. "No?"

A small smirk played at the brunette's mouth. "No." Her mouth thinned into a stern line. "You will fill this out right here, right now so I can make sure that you do it correctly and stop wasting my time."

Anger bubbled up in the blonde, but she blew out a breath, determined to keep her cool. "Fine."

The smirk grew on Regina's face as she shot Emma a satisfied look. She brushed a hand over the material against her thigh to smooth it out before returning to her side of the desk. She placidly settled into her luxurious chair, the satisfied look remaining on her face the entire time.

Emma ignored her, eyeing her surroundings for a moment before opting to scoot her chair up to the desk. She bit her lip and looked down at her pocket-less slacks. She didn't have anything to write with. Her hands played with the corners of the paperwork as she worked up her courage to break the silence.

A loud sigh sounded, and Emma glanced up just in time to catch Regina rolling her eyes.

Regina tugged open one of the desk drawers and retrieved one of her disposable pens, carefully sliding it over to just within Emma's reach. "Do try to be more prepared Miss Swan."

Emma didn't comment. She forced a semblance of a smile on her face as she accepted the writing utensil and got to work on filling in the blanks on the form in front of her.

The sable haired woman quietly watched her for a few heartbeats. Seeing that the blonde was seriously considering the material, she nodded to herself and decided to reply to a few emails while she waited.

She'd replied to two emails and had started on a third, when the tapping started. At first she ignored it, trying to focus on the text before her. As the sound continued, so did her annoyance.

She shot a glare at the oblivious visitor. Emma was diligently focused on the form before her, right hand casually bouncing the pen against the solid wood desktop.

"Miss Swan!" she finally blurted out.

Green eyes blinked in confusion as Emma glanced up at her, mouth slightly open. "Huh?"

"Would you stop that infernal racket?" Regina pinched the bridge of her nose with her left hand.

Emma glanced around the room with wide eyes, not hearing anything other than their breathing. "What racket?"

Regina expelled a harsh breath through her mouth, once again wondering how this woman had come to be in her employ. "That racket!" She sharply gestured at the pen the blonde was still holding.

"Uh," Emma's brow furrowed as she glanced at the motionless pen. "You want me to stop writing?"

The brunette let out a strangled groan, shoving up from her chair and stalking around the desk to invade Emma's personal space.

Emma's breath caught as Regina snatched the pen from her hand and leaned over to speak directly to the befuddled blonde. "Stop using this pen," she held the pen up between them, "to tap against this desk." She waited until Emma had focused on the pen before slowly bringing it to the desktop to emulate the motions Emma had been doing.

A steady tap filled the silent room, and Emma turned to Regina with a bashful look on her face.

She swallowed nervously as she realized their faces were only a few inches apart, and she could feel Regina's soft breaths on her face. Her heart was beating so loudly in her ears, she feared the domineering woman could hear it in their close proximity."Got it."

Regina searched her face for a few moments before straightening up and depositing the pen back into the stupefied Emma's open hand.

"Finally," she murmured with a slightly odd tone to her voice.

Emma watched well-defined calves from under her lashes as Regina once again returned to her chair, only bringing her eyes up once Regina was back in her seat and focusing on her monitor.

She didn't say anything. A few breaths later she was again assiduously working on completing the paperwork.

Regina spared her a calculating look when she was sure the blonde wouldn't notice. After a few moments she shook her head to herself and continued catching up on her work emails.

Both were peacefully lost in their respective tasks for some time. The peace ended when Emma dropped her pen to the desk, triumphant grin in place.

"Done," she proclaimed in satisfaction.

Regina kept working, only fixing her attention on Emma after she'd finished and sent her latest correspondence.

She extended a tan hand expectantly with a disinterested look on her face.

Emma exuberantly deposited the finished document into the open palm.

Earthen eyes skimmed over the newly completed sections with distaste. Regina wet her index finger against her tongue before moving to the next page.

"Mm," she murmured in assent. "That will be all, Miss Swan." She set the paperwork down and returned her attention to her computer monitor.

The clear dismissal rankled Emma, and despite her better judgment she couldn't help but respond.

"What is your problem?" The question came out sharply, Emma's irritation quite apparent.

Regina continued with her current task. If it weren't for the small sneer that had fleetingly shown on her face, Emma would have thought Regina hadn't heard her.

Emma stood and slapped her hands down on the desk, leaning forward to get the other woman's attention.

"I asked you a question," she gritted out between clenched teeth when Regina didn't respond.

Regina turned to face Emma, settling back into her chair with both arms on the arm rests. She quietly eyed the towering blonde. "Miss Swan, do you know what MBI is an abbreviation for?"

Emma's brow furrowed at the non sequitur. "Huh?"

"Of course you don't." Regina's smile was predatory. "Mills-Boyd Inquiries. Do you understand what that means?"

Brown eyes sharply observed Emma's paling face. "Yes. Daniel may have hired you, but technically _I_ am also your boss. You _will_ show me respect."

"Respect is earned," Emma muttered halfheartedly.

Regina nodded, and her tone was patronizing. "Yes it is Miss Swan, and so far you have shown me you aren't worthy of my respect, let alone this job."

Emma opened her mouth to protest, but Regina cut her off. "Your criminal history alone should have kept you from being hired. So far you've proven to be inept at the most basic task of filling out paperwork. You've disrespected me not only with your attitude, but a flagrant disregard for my time by being late." As she spoke she ticked off each statement with her fingers to emphasize each point.

Regina stood and slammed her own palms down onto her desktop, leaning forward so that she was eye-to-eye with Emma. Her lip curled in derision, "And to top it all off, there were four other well qualified applicants here for this job. You were hired because Daniel took a shine to you when he was drunk and probably hopes to get into your pants."

Emma was breathless as she absorbed the truth behind the words, eyes focused on Regina's quivering lips and flared nostrils. She swallowed hard and gathered herself.

"It doesn't matter how I got here. I'm here now, and I read my contract. You can't fire me unless I violate any of the stipulations set out in it. All of those stipulations revolve around job performance, obeying the letter of the law, and being discrete." Emma's words were firm, but internally the honesty of Regina's words wounded her fragile self-confidence.

Regina's eyes were half-lidded as they roamed Emma's face. Her expression relaxed minutely. "I'm aware of that Miss Swan." She straightened up and smoothed a hand over her abdomen. "I don't doubt that I'll be able to fire you with cause soon enough."

A chill swept through Emma at the cold surety of the words Regina related as the brunette sat back down on her comfortable chair. She could speak up and deny Regina's words, but that deep part of her that had been broken since she was a child ached fiercely. She'd wanted to believe that she'd gotten this job because she'd earned it.

"That will be all, Miss Swan." The disinterested tone aggravated the ache in Emma, and she pursed her lips as she stormed from the office.

* * *

><p>The silence in her office was killing her. Green eyes glanced at the clock displayed precisely opposite of the desk on the wall.<p>

Since leaving Regina's office earlier, she'd been unable to turn her brain off. Trying to sift through the legalese in the company booklet laying out regulations had proved to be impossible in her current state.

She told herself that it didn't matter how she got the job. She'd already sworn to herself that she was holding on to it with both hands and not letting the opportunity go.

A sigh escaped her, that burning question in her mind refusing to fade. She wanted to know the truth. Her jaw set as she came to a decision.

She stood resolutely from her desk and headed back down the now very familiar hallways. Her goal came in sight as she made the final turn. Regardless of what the man said, she wasn't quitting. She just _needed_ to know.

Emma paused before the door, taking a deep breath as she centered herself. She brought her hand up to tap firmly at the glass door.

Footsteps sounded on the other side, and Emma was surprised when Daniel opened the door a second later.

The suit jacket he'd been wearing earlier was missing, and the sleeves to his white button up shirt were rolled up to his elbows. His hair was a little mussed, but he gave her his usual smile.

"Emma, hey. What's up?" enthusiastically inquired, stepping back to let her into his office.

Emma gave him an awkward smile, stepping in just past where he was standing. She turned to face him as he closed the door.

Daniel gave her another smile, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk.

She gave him a nod in response, and settled into the chair on the left. Daniel surprised her by taking the chair to her right.

He settled himself in comfortably, crossing one leg over the other. "So, what's up?" He reiterated his earlier question.

Emma expelled a breath and mellowed at his congenial approach. "I had a meeting with Regina earlier."

"Yeah, look." Daniel straightened up, his smile dropping as he became serious. "Gina might seem really prickly, but she's a good person. She might give you a hard time, but she's just really protective of the firm."

She tilted her head in response, some of her blonde locks shifting to partially cover one eye. A pale hand came up to push the loose strands back in irritation as she regarded her boss quietly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," his smile was back.

"Why did you hire me? There were a number of people here, and I'm sure they were all more than qualified." The question came out relaxed, and Emma was proud she managed to sound so casual about it.

Daniel hummed a little to himself, giving her a cautious look. "You made an impression on me the first time we met."

An odd tingle went down Emma's spine at the careful phrasing. Daniel was being honest, but there was definitely more to it than what he was saying. She decided on a more direct approach. "Would you hire someone just because you wanted to sleep with them?"

A strangled noise came out of Daniel as he gaped a little at her, his head shaking after a moment. "Did Regina say something like that to you?"

Emma's eyes narrowed at the evasion to her question. "She might have."

Daniel sighed and slumped a little in his chair, one hand rubbing at his face. "Gina, you kill me," he muttered into his hand.

He straightened up again and faced her. "Look, I say this with the utmost respect; You are an attractive woman, but I would _never_ hire someone just so I could get laid."

Again there was that odd tingling sensation and Emma silently evaluated the words. She nodded at Daniel. "Alright."

The tall man smiled at her again, bringing a hand up to run through his short hair. "This isn't really appropriate for the office, but I want you to be comfortable here. Your talent with people was definitely a deciding factor in you being hired."

"Alright," she nodded again. Her face was neutral.

Daniel took it as a good sign that she didn't seem upset. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah. How long do your background checks take to clear?"

Her boss seemed visibly relieved at the subject change. "Well, Mulan is personally taking care of the check, and she's usually very thorough. I would imagine since it's been a few days already that she should be finished any time now."

Emma was both anxious and relieved at the information. "Good to know."

"As soon as you're officially cleared, Astrid will set you up with all the required passwords and such. You'll have access to most of our resources. After a sixth month trial period, even more will become available to you." Daniel's confidence was fully restored as he discussed a less awkward topic.

"Cool. Well thanks for taking the time to talk to me and answer some questions." She stood, brushing an imaginary piece of lint from her slacks.

Daniel rose along with her and moved to his door to politely open it for her. "Any time, Emma. My door is always open if you have questions. Or," he nodded toward the office phone, "feel free to call."

Emma gave him a half smile. "Thanks."

He nodded silently as she stepped out.

Emma waited for the door to fully close and footsteps to fade before groaning.

_Well, that wasn't awkward at all_.

She wasn't sure how she felt about what she'd discovered. While she respected Daniel's professional attempts at trying not to make her uncomfortable, she'd easily read between the lines.

Her boss was attracted to her, and it had definitely influenced his decision in hiring her. At least it seemed he wasn't going to try and pressure her into anything. She sighed as she meandered back to her office.

Regina hadn't been dishonest in her assessment of Daniel's goals, though she wasn't entirely accurate either. Daniel had been telling the truth when he said that he had been impressed by her interrogation skills.

Daniel was an attractive enough guy, but she didn't find him appealing in that way. He just wasn't her type. She hoped that it never became an issue, because she really just wanted to keep this job and the pay and benefits and just be happy with Henry.

Her mind flashed to the confrontations in Regina's office. She was far more attracted to Regina Mills than she ever would be to Daniel. She grunted a little angrily at herself at the realization.

"Always gotta pick the difficult ones, Swan."

Astrid looked up as Emma passed her desk. "What was that, Emma?"

Emma was startled to realize she'd spoken out loud. "Oh, nothing Astrid. Just a little anxious for things to be finished with the background check."

The administrative assistant smiled brightly at that. "Well, you're in for good news. You've just been cleared. I was just about to go to your office."

The blonde brightened and shifted closer to the desk. "Really? Awesome. Let's go get to it."

Astrid chuckled a little as she stood from her desk, grabbing a few manila folders. "Did you eat lunch yet?"

Emma's stomach grumbled at the question, and she gave Astrid a sheepish smile. "Nope, I kinda got caught up in work stuff."

The brunette shook her head and made a disapproving sound with her tongue. "I'll order something from the fourth floor for both of us. It might take a while to get you familiar with our systems."

"Yeah?" Emma looked hopeful. "That'd actually be pretty great."

They shared a congenial smile with each other as they made their way to Emma's office, discussing food options lowly so as not to disturb anyone else.

As she and Astrid settled comfortably in their office chairs and the other woman called in their order, she felt confident that she would do just fine at MBI.

She would just do her best to keep her head down and stay away from any sticky situations involving either boss. Any potential headaches just weren't worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina hummed to herself as she got ready for work, carefully working the nylons up the curve of her calf and up her thigh.

"That has to be one of the sexiest things in the world to watch." Daniel groaned from the doorway. His gaze appreciatively absorbed her half-dressed state in only a matching black set of silky underwear and stockings.

She rolled her eyes as she finished adjusting her nylons and stepped into the blue sheathe she'd chosen for the day. "Why are you still here?" Her voice was guarded. Usually Daniel would be out of the door as soon as possible after spending the night.

"I dunno, I thought it might be nice to have breakfast or something." He sent her a careful smile.

Regina willed herself to ignore his boyish charm and the way her heartbeat sped up. Daniel would do this every now and then, and she shouldn't still be getting hopeful after so many years.

She stepped over to her full-length mirror as she tugged the zipper at her back up. She turned from side to side, gently adjusting the way the fabric settled over her curves.

"I'm not really hungry dear," she finally announced as she settled in front of the vanity to do some last touch ups to her hair and makeup.

"Aw, come on 'Gina." Daniel walked over so he was standing just behind her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.

Regina studiously ignored him as she carefully applied lipstick.

The tall man sighed as he observed her in the mirror, a somewhat wistful look on his face. "You're so beautiful Gina, let me make you breakfast."

"Daniel," Regina inhaled sharply when she looked up to see his expression in the reflection of her vanity mirror. She firmed her jaw. She needed to protect herself. "You said it yourself last night; what we did changes nothing about the reality between us."

He gave her a wounded look, which she ignored. His little nostalgic trips down memory lane only ever served to hurt her about what had been and what should have been.

Though she could never truly and completely reject him, she was past the point when hurting herself to please him was an option. Their nights, sporadic as they were, were her only indulgence.

Daniel's shoulders slumped a little, and his next smile was melancholic. "Alright, I'll get out of your hair. But," he squeezed her shoulders once before dropping his hands, "I'm bringing croissants into the office, and I fully expect you to have one."

She tilted her head in concession, her own careful smile on display. "You should bring a few jelly doughnuts for Leroy, you know he loves those."

A soft laugh greeted her words. "I might as well bring some bear claws for Emma, too. I think they're a huge part of her daily diet."

The smile on Regina's face froze, but Daniel was oblivious. "I'm sure Miss Swan would like that," she finally uttered hollowly.

Daniel nudged her shoulder playfully with one hand, "You need to give her a chance 'Gina. It's been a few weeks now and you've kept her on desk duty."

Regina's lips thinned. "We'll see. I might send her out with someone else to see how she does, first."

"Good!" The dark haired man stretched and gave her one last smile before moving to exit the room. "I'll see you at the office Gina."

She didn't respond. It took her a few minutes to collect herself, as she bitterly considered the various cases MBI was handling.

Regina hadn't wanted to send Emma into the field at all, certain the woman would operate much as a bull in a china shop would. In her personal experience she'd noted the woman lacked tact and poise, and her patience was definitely underdeveloped.

While Daniel might have been impressed with the way the woman had interrogated a three hundred pound biker in a seedy bar, their clientele often demanded more more subtlety and finesse. Emma Swan had the finesse of a nervous porcupine in a room full of excited children.

She did want Emma to fail, she just didn't want to risk losing an important client over the woman's ineptitude.

As her mind mulled over the conundrum, she tried to consider the business she would mind losing the least.

There were no excellent options. She debated with herself a few moments longer, weighing her options. A passable solution came to her, and she tried not to sigh.

Her only hope was that Emma Swan wouldn't utterly botch the assignment she'd elected for the blonde woman to assist with.

She slid into the cream heels she'd selected for today and gathered up a few personal effects to put into her clutch. Her fingers tapped idly against the purse as she thought for a moment.

Her lips pursed and she nodded to herself as she tugged her cellphone out and tapped through a few screens.

A smile tugged at her lips as she arrived at the name she was looking for and she observed the goofy pictured. A few additional taps initiated the call, and she waited patiently as the line rang.

"Someone better be dead," the gruff voice groaned as soon as the call connected.

Her smile bloomed fully at the words. "Leroy, it's Regina."

"Ugh, sister, don't you know I don't have to be awake for another twenty minutes? Couldn't it wait 'til I was in the office?" Leroy's low growl was warm now, with only a hint of irritation remaining.

Regina tilted her head in thought. "Maybe it could have, but I wanted to give you advance warning."

A loud groan sounded over the line, and Regina couldn't contain her chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh at my pain." The affection in his voice outweighed the nature of his words.

"Alright Leroy. Daniel is quite insistent that I give Miss Swan some field work but I'm still unsure about her abilities. My compromise was that I would let her out in the field to assist someone already working a case." She waited patiently for her words to sink in.

"Really?" Another groan sounded, followed by a sigh. "I have to take the greenhorn along with me?" His words trailed off into unintelligible mutterings.

"Of all the cases we're currently handling, yours was the one I've considered she could to the least amount of damage with. A domestic issue, correct?" She kept her tone even and relaxed.

"Yeah, I'm just following the wife around taking pictures. So far she's pretty clean. Not really much going on here. I'm giving it another few days and then calling it in to give my results." He paused for a few moments. "Emma isn't that bad. I guess I can live with it."

Regina's nostrils flared at the almost-endorsement. By now, Emma had met most of the other ISes at least casually in the break room. To Regina's knowledge, only Mulan had dodged the dubious pleasure.

She opted not to voice her displeasure. Leroy was an unorthodox, easygoing man that understood boundaries and could follow orders quite easily. She'd rather not create undue tension amongst her workforce despite her personal feelings.

"If she causes any disruption or issues while working with you, feel free to voice your complaints. Or, preferably, submit them in writing for my files. I am sorry to drop this on you at the last minute, but sooner or later I would have needed to give her a trial run. I know that you can handle it."

"Now you're laying it on a little thick, aintcha?" Leroy sounded very pleased, and she could imagine the tinge of pink to his cheeks. Despite his gruff exterior, Leroy was a very congenial man.

"Hardly," she demurred.

"You know I've got your back Regina. I'll let you know how the little Swan does on her first gig out."

"Thank you Leroy. I'll see you at the office later this morning. I told Daniel to bring you doughnuts."

The gruff man hooted with glee, "Jelly?"

"Of course."

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit sister. Drive safely."

Regina smiled as she ended the call. Of all her employees, Leroy was her favorite. His appearance was deceptive; though he was blunt, he also knew when to keep his thoughts to himself. She'd always appreciated both traits.

Since Leroy was aware how important the firm was to Regina, he would be sure to be very forthright with his new charge. Emma Swan wouldn't get away with anything on his watch.

* * *

><p>Emma whistled to herself as she stepped off the elevator. Although Regina had ensured all her assignments consisted of assisting the other ISes with research, Emma hadn't minded much.<p>

Well, she'd minded a little. She wasn't really fond of sitting at a desk all day, but after she'd received her first bi-monthly paycheck her complaints had ended. Henry had gotten the new pair of shoes she'd been saving up for the next day.

Astrid greeted her with her usual friendly smile. "Morning Emma. Daniel brought in breakfast for everyone." She gestured to a half-eaten croissant on her desk.

Emma grinned cheerfully. "Sweet! Break room?"

The administrative assistant nodded as she took another bite and chewed. "I'm fairly certain he got you a bear claw."

The blonde's grin widened, and she gave Astrid a nod in thanks as she made her way to the break room.

The door was open, and she was surprised to see a few people in the space. Since everyone had random schedules with field work, it was rare to see so many people in the break room at once.

She gave a congenial wave to Marco and his son August, and nodded in response to Leroy's grunt. She stiffened when she realized Regina was at the coffee machine, just pouring herself a fresh cup.

She licked dry lips as she couldn't help but notice how well the brunette filled out the clingy lapis lazuli dress. Emma jerked her eyes away when she realized Regina was turning, accidentally meeting Leroy's twinkling eyes.

She ignored his knowing look and focused on the open pastry box on the counter. A few steps had her in front of the large white box, and she gleefully pulled a napkin from the nearby dispenser to help herself to one of the enticing bear claws.

Emma eyed the three small tables, and sat across Leroy with a small sigh. She figured Regina would want to sit by herself at the third table and didn't want to interrupt the father and son duo that were obviously in the middle of an engaging discussion.

Naturally she was surprised when Regina sat at the last free chair at the table Emma had just selected. Emma kept her eyes down and tried not to choke on her pastry.

"Miss Swan," the familiar haughty voice intoned.

Emma's shoulders slumped. She'd done her best to avoid both bosses as much as possible, though she'd still interacted with Regina a fair amount to receive assignments - albeit over the office phone.

"Miss Mills," she mumbled around her bear claw.

Regina waited for viridian eyes to reluctantly pull away from the table top and focus on her. "For the next few days you'll be assisting Leroy on his assignment. Leroy doesn't really need the help, but we do need to gauge your effectiveness in the field at some point." An olive toned hand moved to rest on Leroy's flannel-covered forearm. "Leroy is quite experienced and good at what he does; you'd do well to follow his lead."

Leroy grunted at Regina's words, the barest hint of a smile visible at the corner of his mouth and in his amused gray eyes.

"Got it," Emma gave a playful salute with her free hand. She felt a kernel of excitement at the thought of finally getting some field work.

The scruffy man eyed both women for a moment, before focusing on Regina. "You gonna eat?"

Regina hummed noncommittally and shrugged. Her attention was elsewhere as she seemed to stare off into space.

Leroy snorted at the response, swiftly standing and marching over to the pastry box. He pulled open the cupboard and tugged out a small plate. A moment later he opened a drawer and retrieved a fork and knife. He eyed the pastries for a moment, before selecting something and putting it on the plate. The scruffy man pursed his lips and grabbed a few napkins, before turning back to the still unaware woman.

He was back over at the table a moment later, carefully depositing the plate and cutlery before Regina.

The sable haired woman blinked and looked down at the plate. A smile blossomed on her face and she gave Leroy a warm look. "You're giving me one of your jelly doughnuts? You never share."

"Only for you, sister." He gave her a friendly wink, and gestured at the plate. "Now, eat. You can't forget the most important meal of the day."

Regina laughed softly, "I highly doubt there's much nutritional value in this." She picked up the fork and knife and delicately began cutting into the unhealthy pastry.

Emma was entranced by the exchange. She'd never seen her boss so relaxed and...friendly. She scowled a little at the thought. Regina's obvious dislike really _was_ personal. She didn't like that.

Leroy glanced over at Emma, his silvery eyes dancing.

Her eyes narrowed. Leroy had some goal in mind besides feeding Regina with his little act of concern. Did he want her to like Regina? She snorted at the idea. _I'm not the one with the problem_.

"So, Emma," Leroy's gruff voice pulled her from her thoughts. "How are you liking MBI?"

Emerald eyes flicked back and forth between her two table-mates, noting that Regina was entirely focused on cutting her breakfast up into neat squares. It made her feel more comfortable about answering, and she decided to be honest. "Well, it's pretty different from my last gig. Overall, I really like it. I mean, sitting at a desk isn't really my favorite thing, but I understand the hesitation on putting me out in the field first thing. I know my son appreciates the normal hours and the pay bump." A half-smile tugged at her lips as she finished.

Regina's head jerked up, her eyes a little wide. She took a breath and relaxed before responding. "You have a son?"

Emma eyed her warily, but only saw genuine curiosity. "Yeah," she replied cautiously. "His birthday is coming up, he's pretty excited."

"How old is the little Swan gonna be?" Leroy inquired.

The blonde hesitated for a fraction of a second, internally bracing herself for more judgment from Regina. "He's going to be twelve."

Leroy's eyebrows hiked up on his brow, but Regina didn't visibly react. Emma shifted nervously in her seat, sure that both people had easily done the math.

"Being a single mother must be difficult, especially in this line of work." Regina's tone was even as she spoke, and it left Emma feeling utterly surprised. She'd really expected a snide comment.

"It hasn't been easy, but this job has really helped balance things out for us. Henry is a really good kid." She sent the brunette a cautious smile. This was their first exchange that hadn't involved nasty comments. It left Emma feeling hopeful and more than a little relieved.

"Yes, well. No doubt thanks to the other half of his gene pool."

The smile dropped from Emma's face, and she sighed internally. Well, almost no nasty remarks. Her thoughts became dark as she considered Henry's biological father. Her jaw worked as she fought against making a comment she'd regret.

"I'll just say that Henry and I are much better off without that deadbeat in the picture." Her face felt stiff. She scooted her chair back abruptly, not caring that it made a rather loud screech. "I'm gonna go check on a few things. Come get me when you're ready to head out for the day Leroy."

Emma didn't look at either person as she fled the room, refusing to acknowledge the angry ache in her chest.

The break room was quiet after the sudden departure, and Leroy sent a cautious glance in Regina's direction.

Regina was playing with her fork idly, seemingly undisturbed.

Leroy shook his head and snorted.

The sable haired woman ignored him. Although she seemed unaffected, for the first time she felt a little guilty for being so merciless to Emma Swan.

She straightened in her seat and decided to forget the momentary lapse in judgment.

* * *

><p>Emma frowned as she played with a rubber band, two fingers stretching it out while a third twanged at the taut object.<p>

She'd made a bit of a scene. She shouldn't have let Regina get to her. The woman barely knew her. Emma had heard it all over the years, and really she'd been victim to much more harsh treatment.

"Must be getting soft in my old age," she muttered to the empty office.

Growing up she'd learned that people only had the power to verbally hurt her if she let them. She wasn't sure why she let Regina exert such a thing over her, boss or not.

She slumped in her chair. Spending years with Henry and absorbing all the love and openness the boy was quick to share had definitely softened her. A smile grew on her face at the thought; she couldn't regret that. Emma would just have to figure out some way to tune out Regina's nasty comments.

The thought made her a little mournful. Ideally, it would be great if she and Regina could just get along. She'd thought that perhaps Regina was a bit of a snob, but her camaraderie with Leroy had disabused her of that notion.

There had to be something more personal about it, but Emma couldn't be sure. Outside of work topics, she and Regina hadn't said two words to each other. The older woman's enmity had been apparent from their first meeting, but Emma thought the reaction was a little extreme over her juvenile record.

Maybe Regina just didn't like having someone hired against her wishes. Emma frowned. If that were the case Regina should really be mad at Daniel, not her. The anger was misplaced.

A firm knock on the door derailed her thoughts, and her head jerked up. She shoved the rubber band in her desk drawer and moved her mouse to wake up her monitor. She poised her hands over the keyboard to appear busy. "Come in," she called loudly.

The door opened, and an even-tempered Leroy poked his head in. "You ready?"

Emma felt herself nodding. "Yep, let me just turn my computer off."

"Sure thing. I'll be in the waiting room. Oh and," he gestured to her desk, "you might want to bring a notepad and something to write with."

Emma felt like a bobble head doll as she continued nodding. "Yeah, sure. I'll be out at the front in a minute."

Leroy made an approving sound in his throat before ducking out and closing the door again.

It didn't take Emma long to shut her PC down, and she tucked a few pens into the pocket of her light jacket before grabbing a small notepad and heading to the waiting room.

She smirked a little to herself when she found Leroy speaking lowly to Astrid, the brunette woman blushing slightly as she responded. Emma cleared her throat and the odd couple shifted a little apart.

Astrid brought a pale hand to her cheek, no doubt feeling the warmth of the blush. "Emma, hey. Good luck your first field assignment."

Emma chuckled at the nervous tone, but didn't want to embarrass the kind woman. "Thanks Astrid, have a nice day."

"Oh, you too!" She spared a glance at Leroy and gave him an adoring smile, "Don't be too hard on her."

Leroy held up his hands in placating gesture. "What, me? I'm a teddy bear."

A snort escaped Emma, and Leroy turned to glare at her. "Come on girlie, enough dawdling."

They made their way out of the office and to the elevator, reaching the bottom floor in no time.

"We're taking my car," Leroy informed her as they stepped out of the large office building.

Emma nodded in concession. She had no clue what assignment the scruffy man was even working on, so having him drive only made perfect sense.

She followed him around the corner to the multistory parking garage, and within a few minutes they'd arrived in front of a tan third generation Chevy Nova. "I pegged you for a truck or something. This is cool though."

Leroy grinned, "I totaled my truck last year."

Emma laughed as he unlocked her door and she sat, buckling up without a thought. She frowned after a moment. "Wait, you totaled your truck?" Her voice was a little panicked.

The car rumbled to life and laughter filled the cab of the vehicle. "Relax. It was on an assignment, and the guy was trying to run over what he thought was his wife's lover. I blocked him."

Surprise colored Emma's face. "Whoa, really? Was anyone hurt?"

Leroy shrugged, "Eh. I got a little scrambled and the guy had a fractured wrist from his airbag, but that was the worst of it."

"Was the wife cheating?" Emma couldn't help but ask.

"Nah, and to top it off the wife's friend turned out to be gayer than Liberace." Amusement laced the gruff voice as they pulled out of the parking garage.

"Good thing you reacted quickly. A lot of lives could have been ruined." Emma was impressed.

As they stopped at a traffic light, Leroy glanced at her suspiciously. "You're not just tryin' to stroke my ego, eh?'

Emma quirked a brow at him. "Nah, that's a pretty cool story. All my old cases were pretty boring in comparison."

He eyed her a moment longer before turning back to face forward, just in time to catch the green light. Leroy nodded to himself once before changing the subject. "You have any idea about what my current assignment is?"

"Not a clue," Emma admitted sheepishly. "I was just happy to be out from behind that desk."

Leroy chuckled. "Oh, I hear ya sister. I hate being cooped up in the office for too long. My office is nice and all, but I like being out on the street much more."

Emma felt content. Leroy seemed to be a kindred spirit, and it was nice to experience on her first outing for MBI. "So, what _is_ the assignment?"

"Why, the bread and butter of PI work; follow the spouse. It's the eternal question - is my partner cheating on me?" Leroy affected a genteel mode of speech as he related the nature of the assignment.

The blonde shook her head ruefully. "I guess the different social classes _do_ have some things in common."

"You got that right. All the money in the world won't make cheater stop cheating." Leroy's voice was distracted as he got lost in thought.

Emma easily noticed the change. "What's up?"

Leroy's head shook, and he pursed his thick lips into a disapproving line. "I've been following this woman for a couple of weeks now. She's completely clean. Seems like a real nice lady, too. I kinda think the husband has just been looking for a reason to divorce her, but I can't be sure."

"Well, if that's true, that's pretty shitty." There was a sour taste in Emma's mouth at the thought.

"Yep. We're gonna stop by the husband's office on the way. I forgot to drop off some photos he wanted yesterday. You can tell me what you think."

"Alright."

The rest of the ride was silent, though thankfully not too long. Leroy parked on the street, and they were in an elegant two story building a few moments later.

Leroy waved at the lone security guard as he led Emma up a set of solid wooden stairs. Their footsteps seemed loud against the marble floor, and Leroy halted in front of a lacquered mahogany door.

He knocked loudly a few times before pulling the door open and stepping inside. The room was divided into a small waiting area and an office space, another lacquered door at the back wall between the two.

Both the waiting area and the desk were curiously empty.

Leroy frowned and strode up to the second door, again knocking loudly.

There was movement on the other side of the door, and a masculine voice called out, "Just a minute!"

The waiting duo shrugged at each other, and moved to sit on a comfortable looking antique leather sofa.

Five minutes later a harried looking brunette stepped out of the back office, her pixie haircut a little unkempt.

"Mr. Nolan is so sorry for the delay. You may go in to see him now," the woman relayed a little meekly.

Leroy and Emma shared a glance before getting up and moving to through the still open back door.

"Ah, Mr. Roberts, so happy you could stop by." An attractive blonde man was standing in front of the desk in a blue and white pinstriped shirt, neatly tucked in to khaki slacks, and held up with a dark leather belt. "But, who's this with you?"

"Oh, a colleague of mine from MBI. She's helping me for the next few days to ensure we're as thorough as possible." As Leroy spoke, he reached into the pocket of his slacks. He held up a jump drive.

"The photos from the last week. Still entirely innocuous. Are you certain you'd like us to continue?"

Mr. Nolan cleared his throat, azure blue eyes focusing on the rug while he thought. He nodded, "Yes, I want to be absolutely sure."

"Well alright then," Leroy conceded. "We'll just move along and get to work then."

"Excellent. Miss Blanchard can provide you with an up to date version of Abby's schedule on your way out." The tall man added agreeably.

Leroy nodded silently, and he and Emma spared Mr. Nolan one last smile before exiting.

In no time at all they were back at Leroy's car, Mrs. Nolan's schedule in hand.

They settled into their seats and sat quietly for a few heartbeats. "You saw that right?" Leroy finally asked.

"Yep. Lip smudge over his zipper in the same shade his secretary was wearing." Emma was a little angry on Mrs. Nolan's behalf.

"Good eyes Swan. I think it's safe to say Mr. Nolan was definitely hoping there'd be a good reason to divorce Mrs. Nolan." The scruffy man looked upset. "Worst part is, Mrs. Nolan seems incredibly nice."

"Ah, come on Grumpy, let's move on. We should get this over with as soon as possible." Emma winced as she considered the hours of probably fruitless observation they were about to engage in.

Leroy grunted and started the car.

* * *

><p>Emma stretched and groaned as she and Leroy got out of his Nova. They'd spent the last few days cooped up in the classic car, and both were glad their assignment was finally at an end.<p>

They'd bonded some in the many hours cooped up together, often doing running commentary as Mrs. Nolan went about her business. Leroy's falsetto voice could convincingly pass for a woman, she'd found.

Neither had spoken again over Mr. Nolan's obvious infidelity, though Emma was sure it weighed on Leroy's mind as much as it did hers.

She sighed, and turned to face her companion. "And he said it just has to be today?"

Leroy nodded, "Yeah, my guess is he wants this over just as much as we do."

"Wonder what he'll do since Mrs. Nolan is apparently way more faithful than he deserves?" she pondered out loud.

"Who knows? None of my business. Let's give him the photos and our bill. What he does after that is none of our concern as long as we get paid."

Her co-worker's statements left her feeling a little unsettled, but Emma kept that to herself. They made their way up to the familiar office, and this time Miss Blanchard was placidly sitting at her desk.

They'd made sure to call ahead.

The pixie haired brunette smiled at them kindly, "I'll just let Mr. Nolan know you've arrived."

Leroy nodded in assent, and they only had to wait a few heartbeats before the administrative assistant was back and ushering them in to meet Mr. Nolan.

The blonde haired man greeted them with a smile from behind his desk. "Please have a seat, I'm almost done here."

The duo settled in to the comfortable leather chairs opposite the opulent desk, and within a few clicks of his mouse, Mr. Nolan was focused on them again.

"Mr. Roberts, Miss...I'm sorry, I never got your name." Blue eyes rested on Emma expectantly.

"Swan," she replied brusquely.

"Swan," Mr. Nolan confirmed, and focused again on Leroy. "What have you got for me?"

Leroy stood, jump drive already in hand. "She's as faithful as the pope Mr. Nolan." He placed the data stick in an outstretched hand.

"Really?" Mr. Nolan sounded disappointed, and a frown marred his attractive features. "That is unfortunate."

Leroy tugged out a folded stack of papers and set them carefully on the desk. "Here's an itemized invoice, clearly describing our activities and fees."

"Yes, of course." Mr. Nolan hesitated a moment, and turned questioning eyes to a still standing Leroy. "Would your office be interested in...editing some photos?"

The implication lay heavy in the air, and a tense silence descended as Leroy tried to find an appropriate response. "With all due respect Mr. Nolan, I'm afraid ou—"

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Emma exploded.

"Pardon?" Mr. Nolan gaped at her, azure eyes wide with surprise.

"Not only is your wife faithful, but she seems like a genuinely nice lady. Half the time we followed her to places where she volunteered. You're telling me that instead of being a man and just owning up to the fact that you're fucking your secretary, you'd rather frame that seemingly innocent woman so, what – you get more money in the settlement? You're a fucking piece of work, guy."

Mr. Nolan gaped for a moment, his face bright red. He swallowed thickly and his eyes hardened. "That will be all Miss Swan. Mr. Roberts," he dismissed them stiffly.

Emma gulped for air as she stood and followed Leroy out.

_Shit. Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit._

Leroy remained quiet until they were safely ensconced in the car, where he immediately burst out into raucous laughter.

Emma frowned and waited for him to stop. It took a few minutes, but finally the gruff man's laughter tapered down. He wiped at a watery eye and smiled at her.

"You're so fired." He burst into laughter again.

Her stomach churned at the words. She really liked this job. She visibly slumped into her seat, one hand coming up to cover her face.

Leroy got quiet again, and he eyed her for a minute. "Look, you're a nice woman, but do you know how unprofessional that was? Maybe you could do that at your last job, but you can't do that at MBI."

He sighed. "I won't tell Regina, but...you have to learn to control that temper Swan."

Emma straightened in her seat. "Really? You won't rat me out?" Relief swept through her.

Leroy shrugged, "You got a kid. Just keep your shit together Swan."

"I'm buying you jelly doughnuts every day for the next month." Emma relaxed into her seat. Thank goodness she and Leroy had bonded some.

Half an hour later they were safely parked and on their way back up to the office. They had some paperwork to fill out for their assignment before they could go home.

They joked quietly as they made their way into the office, only to be brought up short as they caught sight of Regina.

Regina was perched on the edge of Astrid's desk, legs crossed. Today she wore a vibrant carmine dress that showed off an intimidating amount of cleavage.

As soon as she caught sight of the entering duo, she looked at Emma with a devious smirk.

"Ah, Miss Swan," she purred. "My office, now." Her tone brooked no argument.

Emma mentally cussed up a storm. Of course that pissant Mr. Nolan had called to complain as soon as they'd left his office.

Leroy patted her on the shoulder as she moved to follow Regina, who led the way with a triumphant swagger in her step.

Viridian eyes absorbed the enticing sway of feminine hips bitterly as she followed her boss.

_At least Genie will give me my old job back_.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Warning, **do not read this at work**.

* * *

><p>Emma was sullen as Regina held the door to her office open, the brunette's face inordinately pleased at Emma's predicament.<p>

She dragged her feet as she entered the office, peeking at Regina as she passed.

"Please, do have a seat Miss Swan." Regina's voice was saccharine and intimidating all at once.

Emma moved over to one of the chairs, shifting a little on her feet as she eyed the rather uncomfortable seat.

Regina gave her a deadpan look, and she grudgingly sat down. The dark haired woman let a smile peek out, and she moved to lean on her desk facing the seated blonde.

"Do you know why you're here, Miss Swan?" amusement tinged Regina's voice.

The seated woman frowned at the phrasing, reminded of one too many trips to the principal's office growing up. "I have an idea," she muttered.

"Apparently, you have lots of ideas. Mr. Nolan gave me a call not too long ago. Do you know what he said, Miss Swan?" Umber eyes gazed relentlessly at Emma, and she could feel the weight of Regina's judgment in the look.

Hesitantly, Emma shook her head.

"He said you were uncouth, rude, and lacked all sense of propriety." Regina paused as she brushed some hair back from her face. "He also said that everything you said to him was accurate, and he thanks you for your honesty."

Emma's head jerked up in surprise, her eyes wide. "What?"

"Yes, it's quite curious. What did you say to him Miss Swan?" The sable haired woman smiled sharply.

Emerald eyes narrowed, "I don't remember the exact wording, and I'd rather not paraphrase."

"Oh, so you aren't as dim-witted as you seem. It surprises me that you do _occasionally_ know when to keep your thoughts to yourself." Regina's gaze grew dismissive.

Emma relaxed when it seemed Regina had said all she needed to say, and she let out a relieved breath.

"You're restrained to desk duty for a month," Regina uttered calmly while she inspected the nail polish on one hand.

The breath escaped Emma. She blinked hard, "Come again?"

"Desk duty, one month." Her boss enunciated clearly, as if speaking to a complete imbecile.

Heat rose in Emma's cheeks. "But, Mr. Nolan agreed with what I said!"

"Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that you acted unprofessionally. Given your personal history, you were probably completely out of line as well."

Fury was stamped into Emma's features, and she stood abruptly. "I can't believe this!"

"Be thankful you're not being fired, Miss Swan!"

Emma swallowed the words she was about to say. Regina was right, and they both knew it. Her brow furrowed, "Why aren't you firing me?"

"For some inexplicable reason, you've made a good impression on Leroy. Leroy has worked for me for years, and I trust his judgment." Cinnamon eyes trailed up and down Emma's figure. "Though I wonder if, like Daniel, he isn't just being swayed by a pretty face."

A strangled growl gurgled in Emma's throat. "Because there's no way that I could, oh I don't know, actually just be good at my job!" She pushed forward into Regina's personal space, breathing heavily with rage lighting up her eyes.

The sable haired woman tilted her head, brow furrowing at Emma's sudden movement. "Miss Swan?"

Emma stepped even closer, one hand reaching up to cup a soft cheek.

Mahogany eyes widened as the slightly taller woman growled, "Emma," and crashed their lips together ravenously.

Regina was stunned, her hands clenching against the edge of her desk. Her pulse thrummed in excitement as delicate pink lips slid against her own, the pressure hard but not bruising. Her eyes fluttered closed as Emma nibbled softly at her bottom lip and brushed her tongue hungrily against the crevice of her mouth.

A gasp escaped her at the sensation, and a warm tongue flicked playfully against the roof of her mouth and tongue.

She stiffened suddenly as she realized exactly who she was kissing, and she shoved Emma way ferociously with both hands. "Miss Swan, that was completely inappropriate!" she hissed.

Emerald eyes blinked at her in a daze. "You kissed me back," Emma mumbled softly.

Regina's jaw worked, "I did no such thing! You simply caught me by surprise."

The blonde's mouth opened and closed a few moments before she shifted back on her heels. "Regina, I j—"

"Please do not refer to me by my first name," Regina hissed out angrily.

Emma brought her hand up to rub at her face and she took a deep breath to steady herself. "Miss Mills," she began tentatively. Regina crossed her arms protectively over her chest, and Emma stepped back at the gesture.

An awkward silence descended, and Emma decided to start from the beginning to try and ease the situation.

"I know I lost it with Mr. Nolan and I was extremely unprofessional and you would be well within your rights to fire me for that. I thought you _would_. Since I've come to work here, you've made it pretty clear that you don't want me here. I thought that you would get rid of me the first chance you'd get, and I just," her words trailed off as she moved her hand up to rub uncomfortably at the back of her neck.

Regina nibbled at her lower lip tentatively. "I...I might have been a little harsh on you." Leroy had been checking in with Regina daily, and had given Emma a glowing endorsement. She'd grudgingly decided to give Emma Swan the benefit of the doubt.

Honey-brown eyebrows rose in response, and Emma shook her head. "I can understand that you didn't want me working here. Mr. Nolan was a total scumbag, and I _know_ I should have just kept my thoughts to myself. I apologize for embarrassing MBI with my lack of maturity." She licked her lips nervously.

"As for the other thing," she blushed as she brushed her hand against her lips, "You're a very beautiful woman, and I—"

"That's enough Miss Swan," Regina's face was expressionless as she absorbed the emotions flickering across the blonde's face.

Emma's shoulders slumped, and she ran a hand through her hair as she waited for her inevitable dismissal.

"My previous decision remains, and you would do well to remember my leniency." Regina's voice faltered for a moment. "We won't talk about the other thing. Such things are not appropriate at the office, and I would hope that now you would respect me enough never to attempt such a thing again. That will be all, Miss Swan."

A pale hand rubbed nervously at Emma's face as she considered saying something. Deciding that she'd pushed far too many barriers for the day, she merely nodded her head and shuffled out of her boss's office.

Regina slumped against the desk as soon as Emma had fled, her mind sifting through a thousand thoughts at once.

She hadn't kissed anyone other than Daniel in at least three years, though she knew he couldn't make the same claim. Subconsciously she licked her lips as she recalled the sensations that had accompanied Emma's surprise maneuver.

The tingle of arousal lingered in her body, and Regina silently shook herself. She wasn't sure what kind of game Emma Swan was playing, but Regina hated to lose. She wouldn't be losing this one.

* * *

><p>Emma sighed as she got her keys out and juggled the take out bags into a better position. After leaving Regina's office, she'd still had a crap load of paperwork to fill out. Filling out forms in triplicate while you were insanely aroused by your smoking hot boss wasn't easy - or comfortable.<p>

She'd called Henry when it seemed like the paperwork was going to be a pain to let him know she'd be late.

It was only Astrid tapping on her door that had saved her from paperwork hell.

_The knock on the door was soft, and Emma smiled when she recognized who the knock belonged to._

_"Come in, Astrid." She was happy for the distraction from her only half-finished mountain of forms._

_The somewhat clumsy woman stepped in, bumping lightly against the door as she moved._

_"Emma," she started nervously, and it was only then that the blonde noticed the piece of paper the administrative assistant was clutching in one hand._

_"What's up?" her voice was brimming with curiosity._

_Astrid fumbled a little with the paper before bringing it up for Emma to take._

_Emma's eyebrows perked up. There were plenty of ways to communicate at MBI, and unless there were forms that needed signing, there really was no purpose in sending Astrid scurrying between offices._

_She accepted the paper and watched as Astrid immediately fled the room. Her head tilted at the odd behavior. Green eyes focused on the small piece of paper, and surprise filtered onto her face._

_Miss Swan,_

_Considering that you will be on desk duty for the next month, you may either take your paperwork_

_home or elect to come in earlier tomorrow to finish it. There's no need for your son to be_

_punished for your own foul behavior._

_Regina Mills was signed with a flourish, and Emma chuckled. Regina was such an odd creature. There were many ways her boss could have relayed this message, but she'd still opted to send Emma a physical note in her elegant, but not flashy, handwriting._

_Emma hummed in delight and flipped the note over._

_P.S._

_Astrid has been instructed to call security and have you physically removed _

_if you're still in the building after six-thirty._

_Her face flushed with heat and she glanced up at the clock. 6:24_

_She scrambled to organize the paperwork, shoving it into a thick file folder to make transporting the documents a little easier. She wasn't sure if Regina was serious and she didn't want to find out._

_Emma had hurried out of her office and managed a quick goodbye to the still embarrassed Astrid before the clock had hit 6:30._

Emma could laugh about it a little now, though it sounded a little manic.

"Regina Mills is a piece of work," she mumbled as she finally managed to unlock the door and step into her apartment.

"Ma!" Henry crowed cheerfully as he heard the door open.

"Kid!" she exclaimed back tiredly. "I brought Chinese."

Henry stomped up to her excitedly, taking the bags and bringing them up to his face so he could inhale the scent of the fragrant dishes. "Woo, sesame chicken and...beef with broccoli?"

"Nailed it. You forgot the vegetable lo mein though." Her now free hand came up to muss his hair, and she smiled when he rolled his eyes in response.

"Go put your stuff away, Ma. I'll set the table." Henry gave her a big grin as he moved to their small dining area.

Emma's mood was bolstered as she moved to put her things away and get comfortable. It didn't take long to have her paperwork stowed away for after dinner, and she happily kicked off her shoes before going to join her son at the table.

They spoke quietly over dinner, fits of laughter breaking out from time to time. Henry had laughed with a mouth full of lo mein and somehow gotten a noodle protruding from his nose. Emma had taken a picture with her cellphone before telling him that eating the noodle would probably be a bad idea.

As dinner drew to a close, Emma felt completely balanced and content again. All the stress about work was pushed aside in the face of her son's happiness.

"So, how did the last day on your first field assignment go?" Henry watched her cheerfully, eyes bright.

Emma groaned. "I kinda messed up and told our client off. I thought I was done for."

"No way! Ma, it's not like you to lose your temper. He must have been a pretty bad guy." Henry's face was serious.

"Eh, well. He was kind of a jerk, but I was in the wrong to lose my cool. It looks bad for the company, you know? Anyway, Miss Mills was actually pretty cool about everything. I'm just on desk duty for the next month," she admitted with a sheepish smile.

Henry guffawed. "You hate paperwork! Miss Mills has got you figured out. It's the perfect punishment without firing you." More laughter tumbled from his lips.

A smile grew on Emma's face even though her memories of the subject were a mixed bag. "You might be right, kid."

Her eyes glinted mischievously as Henry gave her a huge grin. She carefully extricated a sliver of carrot from the leftover noodles on her plate.

Henry's green eyes widened. "No, Ma!"

She flung the carrot at her son, nailing him right between the eyes. She pointed at his unamused face and laughed.

Eyes very similar to her own narrowed. "Oh, it's on Ma!"

Their food fight lasted a good ten minutes, and both cheerfully chipped in on the clean up afterward.

"Alright, showers for both of us then I have some paperwork I need to finish up. Did you finish all your homework?" She carefully observed his face as he averted his eyes and tried to talk around the subject.

Emma snorted, "Alright. Showers for both of us, then homework for both of us."

Henry sighed dramatically and nodded. He looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "I call the shower first! You use up all the hot water!" He bolted toward the bathroom, not checking to see if he was being followed.

His mom just smiled warmly, glad that she was able to come home and spend time with her son.

* * *

><p>Pale hands cupped a white mug reverently as Emma bowed her head down to inhale the vibrant aroma of her coffee. "Oh yeah. That's the good stuff," she nearly moaned.<p>

A chuckle erupted behind her, and she turned in surprise, nearly spilling hot coffee all over herself.

"Whoa now, be careful. Regina would hate to have to fill out the paperwork for you burning yourself with coffee." Daniel was smiling brightly at her.

Emma shifted a little uncomfortably, a nervous smile on her face. "Although she'd probably be happy I burned myself."

"Not at all, Miss Swan." Regina moved from the doorway and headed to the coffee machine, tugging her favorite mug out of the cupboard. "The paperwork really isn't worth the time."

The blonde woman straightened as she felt an odd tension. It had been a few weeks since she'd kissed Regina, and they hadn't been in a room together since. Of course, her presence was fairly innocuous now as Regina blithely ignored both her and Daniel.

Daniel was standing within arm's reach of Emma with the bright smile on his face, and she struggled to keep her attention on the man in front of her. She blinked as she realized Daniel was looking at her intently, as if he'd said something to her.

"What was that?" she inquired politely.

"Are you coming tonight?" The dark haired man's head was tilted in interest, both hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks.

Emma chewed at her bottom lip. Daniel had a few annual parties for MBI, and since she'd been with the firm for over a month now, she'd been happily invited to the late spring event. Henry was staying the night at a friend's house since it was a Friday, and logically there was no reason she couldn't go.

Still, the thought of interacting with either boss outside of work made her anxious. Keeping her head down had been doing wonders for her peace of mind, but she wasn't sure if it was a company faux pas not to go.

Regina turned from her position at the counter, mug of coffee in hand as she eyed the uncomfortable exchange with interest. "Yes, Miss Swan, do tell us if you'll be making it to the company party."

There was a dangerous, challenging glint in the mocha colored eyes. Emma raised her chin in response, and spoke without thinking. "Yep, I'm gonna be there alright."

Daniel leaned forward to squeeze her shoulder. "Fantastic! Everyone is going to be there, and you don't want to miss Regina's cooking."

Emma licked her lips when she realized she had just agreed to go to the party she'd had every intention of avoiding. "Should I bring anything?"

The tall man shrugged, "Well, I only provide the basics of alcohol. If you prefer something special, you can bring yourself something. Other than that, I think we've got it covered."

His blue eyes shot to Regina to give her a smile, which was only returned halfheartedly.

Regina straightened from the counter, her lips pursed. "I do believe there is work to be done." She eyed the other occupants of the room pointedly.

Emma rolled her eyes, but Daniel held up his hands with a congenial smile.

"You got it, boss." He executed a mock salute to Regina and turned to leave the room.

The two women still in the room eyed each other for a moment.

"See you at the party then, Miss Swan." Regina turned to leave, and Emma's eyes devoured the sway of hips in the black pencil skirt and the enticing flesh that peeked out of the dangerous slit.

Emma looked up to see that Regina's head had turned just before she exited the room, a sable brow arched as she smirked at Emma a moment before disappearing.

The blonde shifted on her feet uneasily, a ball of anxiety in her stomach. "That woman is going to kill you, Swan."

* * *

><p>Pale hands clenched rhythmically against a dark steering wheel as Emma attempted to give herself a pep talk about going in to the party.<p>

The drive to find Daniel's house hadn't been altogether pleasant, the weekend traffic out of the city causing no small amount of anxiety as she tried to reach the suburb the online map informed her Daniel resided in.

She'd been sitting outside for ten minutes already as she weighed the pros and cons of attending the party. She'd already decided alcohol was a no-no on the drive over. The distance and unfamiliarty of the area had her rejecting even the smallest taste of the stuff.

Her shoulders slumped as she realized she really _couldn't_ just sit outside forever. She'd already told both Regina and Daniel she would be attending, and she could just imagine the triumphant look on Regina's face when she failed show.

Emma gritted her teeth at the mental image. She unbuckled her seat belt without further delay and forcefully opened the door to her beat up yellow VW.

She'd decided on a tasteful emerald dress that stopped just above her knee. Only a hint of cleavage showed, and the the sleeveless straps emphasized her well-maintained arms. Her hair was down and curled at the ends, only the barest hint of makeup on her face. Low heeled green pumps completed the outfit.

She was glad she'd spoken to Astrid about the party; she hadn't been sure about what to wear until she'd asked Astrid in somewhat of a panic.

The taller woman was very clear about the dress code, and her clear instructions had eased Emma's mind - until her imagination started dreaming up the sort of thing Regina might be wearing to the party.

She inhaled a sharp breath as she arrived at the front door, trying to pull her thoughts away from the dangerous tangent her mind had been traveling.

The door hadn't opened yet, but she could clearly hear music and voices on the other side. She discerned the sound of footsteps approaching only a moment before the door was opened.

"Miss Swan, I see you finally decided to join us."

Emma's lips parted as her eyes attempted to drink in Regina's ensemble in its entirety.

Regina was wearing a tiny, strapless black dress that hugged every delectable curve and ended cruelly at mid thigh. Her shoulder-length hair was pulled back into an elegant knot, loose tendrils draping perfectly to emphasize the fine bone structure of her jaw.

Her makeup was a little heavier than she wore around the office, the eyeshadow and liner around her eyes adding a smoky, mysterious effect that made Emma tingle in sensitive places.

"Miss Swan?" Regina tilted her head in amusement, and Emma forced her eyes away from the glistening ruby of succulent lips that she likened to forbidden fruit. In that moment, all Emma wanted to do was sin.

She tried to speak but her voice failed her, so she cleared her throat. "Traffic was horrible, and it took me a while to find the house."

Regina pursed her lips in delight at Emma's befuddled state, and she turned on her heel. "This way to the festivities, Miss Swan."

"Mhm," Emma murmured as her eyes focused on the ridiculously high red stilettos and trailed up the flexing calves in admiration.

The brunette spared a glance over her shoulder and smirked, the oblivious Emma not noticing the satisfied look.

Regina led her to a large living area that had a few more people in it than Emma expected. She blinked in surprise. "There's more people here than I anticipated."

"People are allowed to bring friends and significant others, naturally."

"Oh, right." Emma was distracted as she spotted a giggling Astrid leaning towards a surprisingly well-dressed Leroy.

A smile touched on Regina's face as she recognized where Emma was focused. Regina abhorred gossip and didn't comment, though she did hope that Leroy would just kiss Astrid already. "There's food set out on the coffee table and dining table, and a variety of beverages can be easily obtained from the kitchen."

Regina pointed off to an opening on the right, and then turned to face Emma. "The glass doors to the left will take you to the patio if you require fresh air, and there's a bathroom here," she pointed to a door across from the living room, "and another upstairs should you need to use them. If you're planning on drinking, several guest rooms have been prepared. A few people usually claim them at every party. Just try to remember there's no need to get falling-down drunk."

"I hadn't really planned on drinking much, if at all," Emma was quick to point out.

The onyx haired woman eyed her a moment. "Good. I'll get back to mingling now, dear. Enjoy yourself," she added as an afterthought.

Emma took a breath as she watched the exhilarating woman walk away, and shifted her focus as she tried to decide what she wanted to do first. The low rumble in her belly decided for her. It had been a long drive in traffic, and she hadn't eaten since lunch.

She spotted the dining table right away, the majority of people loosely gathered around the impressive spread. Emma hummed to herself in delight and picked up a plate.

"Try _everything_," a voice to her left emphatically stated.

She flicked her eyes in the direction of the voice and smiled. "Lance!"

The tall, well built dark skinned man gave her a large grin. "Emma!" He said back just as enthusiastically.

"I know Regina said everyone from MBI was coming, but I'm still surprised to see you here since you're hardly in the office."

"Hate being cooped up behind a desk," his dark eyes danced as he spoke, and Emma's eyes narrowed in response.

"Who told you?"

Lance's lips quivered as he tried to restrain the laughter that threatened to erupt at her suspicious look. He shrugged. "Well, since there was no need to keep it a secret any more, Leroy told me. He does a pretty decent Emma Swan impression."

Emma had interacted with Lance a fair amount over the phone. Since she was again stuck behind a desk, she often assisted the ISes in the field by doing whatever research they needed on the spot.

She sighed and shook her head. "Leroy is such a gossip."

Lance laughed, "He knows when to keep his mouth shut." He gave her a pointed look.

She slapped playfully at one of his meaty arms. "Oh shut up. I hardly lose my cool like that, it was a fluke."

Dark eyebrows arched as he eyed her with disbelief. "Sure. Anyway, I was serious about trying everything. Regina made a lot of this stuff, and the woman is magic in the kitchen."

Emma hummed at the proclamation and started loading her plate up, Lance giving her a running commentary on the best tidbits.

After she filled her plate, Lance guided her around the room for a while so she could get a little more familiar with the party attendees.

She was lost in hours of conversation and laughter, and she made her way back to the food more than once as the night wore on. The food was as amazing as Lance had claimed.

A smile was on her face for most of the night, and she was glad she had decided to attend the party after all. The people that worked at MBI were good people, and their family and friends seemed to be equally so.

She indulged in a single beer, but after a while started to feel a little too warm inside. She politely excused herself from a lively discussion with Tamara and Marco and made her way to the patio doors. The patio appeared blissfully empty.

The first breath of air was invigorating, a very light chill to the air. As she looked up, she had to admit the ability to actually see the stars made the drive a little worth the commute.

Most of her still thought Daniel must be crazy with such a long drive both ways every day.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Emma cursed internally. Apparently one errant thought had summoned the host, but she turned to face him dutifully with a smile on her face. "I was wondering if you were crazy for driving so far to work every day."

Daniel threw back his head in laughter. "You know, I've never claimed not to be crazy."

Her head tilted. "Good point. You're certifiable."

A smile lingered on Daniel's face as he stepped closer to her, their elbows brushing. "Maybe," his eyes twinkled as he swiftly ducked his head to brush a kiss on her lips.

Emma managed to jerk her head far enough away so that his lips landed on the corner of her mouth. "Daniel," she warned as she stepped back and away from him.

The tall man held his hands up in a familiar gesture, congenial smile on his face. "My bad, I thought we had something."

Emma sighed in response, "Yeah. It's called a good working relationship."

"No harm, no foul. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable," despite his words, his grin was unrepentant.

Her stomach churned a little. "Excuse me, I need to use the ladies room." She didn't wait for him to respond, instead immediately heading through the still open patio doors.

She stormed in the direction of the bathroom, and spotting a small line, went straight up the stairs even though she had no clue where the other bathroom was. Emma didn't really need to use the bathroom, she just needed a little solitude.

As she opened the first door she came to, she failed to hear the furious clicking of heels behind her.

"Miss Swan," Regina hissed.

Emma had only gotten the door partially open, and she turned in surprise to face Regina.

Regina tugged forcefully on her arm, and Emma followed her automatically. Her brain was still having a partial meltdown from Daniel's awkward kiss.

The brunette led her to the door at the end of the hall, jerking the door open and shoving the still stunned Emma inside.

The door was slammed, and Regina flicked the light on in a flurry of movement.

"Wha-" was all Emma managed to get out as she was pushed up against the door and Regina initiated a bruising kiss.

Regina was merciless as she devoured Emma's soft pink lips possessively, teeth nipping sharply at the tender flesh.

Emma was hopelessly lost and her eyes slid shut. She ran her hands along the smooth fabric of Regina's dress, glorying in the intoxicating feel of the body beneath the fabric.

Impatient hands tugged at the hem of her dress, and a silky thigh slid between her legs to settle against her core.

Emma jerked away from the kiss to gasp at the much needed contact.

"You're wet," Regina's voice was full of accusation as she growled. "I saw you kissing Daniel."

The blonde head shook automatically, "No," Emma gasped.

Regina's nails dug into the skin of her shoulders at the words. "I saw it," she hissed.

Emma licked her lips and opened her eyes, the emerald orbs full of entreaty as she looked into rage-filled umber. "He tried to kiss me, I turned away. I don't want him," she hurriedly explained.

Hard eyes roamed over her features for a moment, gauging the honesty of her words. "Good," a satisfied smirk grew on Regina's face. "He can't have you."

She brought her mouth to the tender, unblemished skin of Emma's neck, sucking and nibbling ardently.

Emma was more than certain it would leave a mark, but as Regina pressed her thigh rhythmically against her womanhood, she found herself not caring in the least.

"Miss Mills," she gasped as Regina nibbled on a particularly sensitive spot.

An olive toned hand buried itself into golden locks, and Regina pulled away for just a moment. "Regina," she panted out and licked her lips as she tried to decide where she wanted to explore next with her mouth.

"Regina," Emma groaned as Regina's left hand returned to the hem of her dress and yanked the material upward and above her waist.

A frustrated sound escaped Regina's throat, and she stepped back to kick off her heels and tug off her dress.

Emma's eyes widened at the sight of Regina standing in vibrant crimson lace panties and nothing else, and she hurried to disrobe. She was standing in her plain cotton bra and bikini cut underwear a moment later, and she was glad that they were at least a matching black color.

She focused on Regina again, just in time to see the petite woman reach up to tug the clip in her hair out. Silky onyx locks tumbled down to tickle at her shoulders, and when her eyes focused on Emma again they were alight with a fire Emma was more than ready be burned by.

"Bed, now." Regina commanded, voice low and taut.

Emma blinked again, only now realizing that they were in one of the guest bedrooms. She stumbled over to the bed and sat on it, seeing Regina slide closer to the door. The sound of the lock turning echoed in the silent room.

Her chest heaved with the force of her breaths, pulse madly thrumming as she watched Regina slowly approach the bed.

"Is this what you want Emma?" Regina asked as she stood in front of the seated woman, their knees brushing lightly.

Emma nodded jerkily, tingles running down her skin at the words.

"Say it, Emma."

She shuddered at the low voice saying her name again with so much intent, and more moisture flooded her already soaked panties. "Yes, I want this. Please, Regina."

Regina brought a hand up to tangle in Emma's hair as she straddled pale thighs. She tugged roughly on blonde locks, and Emma tilted her head back in compliance.

She rose up onto her knees, gently bucking into Emma's hard abdomen.

Emma groaned at the sensation, Regina's arousal apparent on the glistening skin of her stomach and the gentle scent that wafted up to her nose.

"Fuck," she mumbled as luscious lips descended to her own yet again.

Regina's pert breasts brushed enticingly against her jaw, and she groaned when the brunette started to suckle lightly on her tongue.

Her hands released the bedding they'd been clenching up to that point, and found their way to the feminine curve of the gently thrusting hips.

As their kisses grew in intensity, Emma moved a hand to brush against moist fabric.

Regina gasped at the contact, and Emma took that as encouragement as she slid past the lace fabric to rub against copious wetness.

"Fuck," she mumbled again and buried her face in the valley of Regina's breasts, her tongue reaching out to hungrily taste everything in reach. Both of Regina's hands clutched desperately at her head.

Feeling enough lubrication coating her fingers, she couldn't wait any longer and thrust up and into the moist heat she'd longed to explore.

Regina let out a surprised sound, and as her knees shook she settled back down to rest against Emma's thighs.

Emma had to adjust her positioning a little, but within a few heartbeats she and Regina had established a frantic pace.

She could feel soft walls tightening and slickening more around her fingers and her head was jerked into a needy kiss as Regina came explosively.

They panted into each others mouths as their pace slowed, and Emma licked at her lower lip and tasted blood. She was slightly dazed and felt no pain.

Their movements stopped entirely and their breathing eased. Emma waited nervously, unsure what Regina would want to do next.

Regina unwrapped her arms from around Emma, pulling back a little and noticing all the marks she'd left on alabaster skin. She licked her lips.

"Emma, I think you've had too much to drink. You should spend the night." There was a question in her eyes as she relayed her thoughts.

Emma grinned widely, arousal still darkening her eyes. "You're right."

Regina bit at her plump lower lip enticingly, before bringing her hands to gently push at Emma's shoulders.

"Emma," she began, "I do hope you can keep up."

A wicked smile accompanied the words.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Warning, **Do not read at work**.

* * *

><p>Sunlight softly filtered into the guest bedroom, the light colored curtains only serving to soften the harsh brightness of morning into a more gentle waking.<p>

Emma shifted a little and groaned, everything aching and a few spots on her skin stinging from where skin had been broken during a passionate moment.

Regina moved next to her, one bleary eye opening to peek at her bed companion. "Do you have anywhere to be today?" her voice was hoarse.

Emma found the sound exceedingly attractive, and she cried internally at her body's persistent response. Her mind shifted gears as the words penetrated and she thought seriously about her day. "I have to pick up my son at three," she croaked out a minute later.

A soft yawn escaped Regina as she blinked over at the bedside clock. "Go back to sleep, it's barely seven."

Warm breath brushed against her sensitive shoulders, and Regina shivered at the sensation. There was a smile on her face as she felt Emma cuddle up behind her.

"M'kay," Emma mumbled against tanned flesh.

Soft snores sounded in the quiet room a moment later, and Regina felt a rush of affection.

She sighed a little to herself. Things would be complicated later, but for right now she would allow herself to indulge in the welcome afterglow they'd earned after many hours of carnal pleasure.

Regina already compartmentalized a lot of things and relationships in her life, what was one more?

She yawned once more before letting herself drift into a pleasant doze.

* * *

><p>The second time Emma woke was a lot less pleasant. Her bladder was heavy and the spot next to her was empty. She groaned at both, not sure which should concern her more.<p>

"Good morning, Miss Swan."

Emma groaned again at the words. Apparently the empty bed should have been more concerning. She rolled over to her side to get a clear view of where the voice had come from.

Regina was stepping out of a doorway to the right, toweling her hair dry and wearing a knee-length terrycloth robe.

"There's a bathroom there?" Her voice was surprised, albeit still sleepy.

An onyx eyebrow arched. "Does that question really need a response?"

"Nope!" Emma rolled out of bed quickly, still nude but not caring as she made a dash for the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Despite herself, Regina couldn't help but chuckle. She sedately walked over to a set of dressers and pulled out a few things to wear. She finger combed her hair a little to tame it, wishing she'd thought to grab her comb from the bathroom before Emma had commandeered it.

She waited to see if Emma would emerge, but a moment later the sound of the shower starting could clearly be heard. Her feet padded softly against the navy carpet as she walked over to the bathroom door to knock. "Emma?"

"Yeah?" Emma's voice was muffled, but just loud enough to be heard.

"Do you mind if I come in to get my comb?" She leaned against the door as she waited for a response.

"No, come on in!" Emma tried her best to project her voice to be heard over the spray of water.

Regina smiled, and turned the handle to the door to step in, shutting it quickly behind her.

A number of personal effects rested on the white marble sink, and she happily reached for her black comb.

"Hey," came softly from behind her.

Brown eyes glanced up to the large mirror that spanned the entire wall opposite the spacious standing shower. Emma's head was poking out from a gap in the shower door, viridian eyes returning her look in the mirror.

"Regina, do you know what time it is?"

The brunette hummed to herself as she observed some water droplets trickle down Emma's collarbone. "It was almost ten when I got up to shower, so I would say roughly ten-fifteen or so."

Emma licked her lips and cleared her throat. "Thanks." She watched Regina a moment longer, unsure. Quietly she pushed the shower door open a little wider, eyes focused intently on the other woman's reaction.

Regina inhaled sharply at the invitation, her pupils dilating. "Very well, Miss Swan."

The blonde frowned at the use of her last name and opened her mouth to complain. Before a syllable could escape her, Regina tugged her robe off and carefully placed it on the sink.

Emma's mouth shut with a click as her eyes greedily flicked from the exposed back to the equally exposed front on display in the mirror.

A smirk settled on Regina's face, and she gloried at the lust in Emma's eyes. She made a slow turn and approached Emma.

A low gasp sounded as their bodies made contact, their skin sliding together smoothly. Regina leaned forward so she was just a hair's breadth from tender rosy lips. "Emma," she whispered.

Goosebumps formed along Emma's pale skin at the erotic sound, and her eyes couldn't look away from the full lips she'd spent most of the night trying memorize. She brought a hand up to push Regina's hair back behind a delicate ear, her hand moving to cup the strong jaw softly.

She licked her bottom lip as she remembered the taste feel of Regina's torrid kisses after midnight.

Without further ado, Regina crashed their lips together in a wanton show of desire.

She alternated sucking at Emma's top lip with careful nibbles at the protruding lower lip. She pulled back every now and then to whisper Emma's name again and again, like she wanted the blonde to forget everything but the feel of her kisses and that one word.

Emma's hands settled on familiar hips, tugging Regina into the shower and sliding her leg in between Regina's quivering thighs.

Her body felt taut and heavy as lust pulsed from everywhere their bodies made contact, and she wanted more than anything to lose herself in this woman that drove her mad with want.

They rocked into each other as their mouths and tongues continued to both duel and caress, and Emma carefully began to maneuver Regina so that her back was pressed against the natural stone of the shower wall.

Regina hissed a little as the cold tiles hit her back, but jerked Emma against her harder when the blonde moved to pull back. "Fuck me," she moaned hotly against a pale cheek.

Emma's body pulsed with energy at the words, and she groaned as she bent slightly to pull at Regina's legs behind the knees. Regina bucked up and wrapped her legs around Emma's hips with the assistance, and her words became indiscernible breathy sighs as Emma slid inside her.

One hand made it's way to tangle up in messy blonde locks, and she initiated another set of torrential kisses.

Emma's left arm was wrapped around Regina's lower back in support as her right hand kept up a steady pace. Her thumb flicked teasingly against a hardened clit as she thrust rhythmically. The feel of Regina wrapped tightly around her fingers was enough to drive her mad, especially when paired with the sensations of when Regina would hungrily suck on her tongue.

She pulled away to gasp for breath, her eyes slits as she admired how Regina looked; face and neck flushed and her head thrown back against the wall as she drew closer and closer to the precipice.

The tan hand still in Emma's hair tugged roughly, encouraging Emma to press in closer. Emma complied, softly biting and sucking at the sensitive spot between Regina's neck and shoulder.

More moisture flooded against her hand. "Fuck," Emma hissed in pleasure.

Regina gasped, and a smirk flashed on her face as she moved her free hand down to brush against Emma's still very sensitive clit. She had to strain to make good contact, but the hedonistic surprise on Emma's face was worth it. They were both so close, she could feel it.

"Come with me Emma," she gasped just a moment before she tumbled over the edge, her body jackknifing at the intensity.

Emma jerked wildly into the hand rubbing lightly and furiously at her clit, wetness trickling down her own thighs as she followed Regina into oblivion.

They panted as their movements slowed, the high of their coupling tapering down to stillness. Emma's arms and legs were shaking, and she carefully set Regina down on her feet before she collapsed and harmed them both.

Olive arms wrapped around her neck, and Regina gave her a languid kiss. Her fingers played with Emma's hair as the kiss ended, and she pulled back to absorb the look on her new lover's face.

The sound of a stomach growling broke the mood. They both looked down at their stomachs, which were pressed firmly together.

"I'm not sure whose that was," Emma admitted in embarrassment.

Regina chuckled and shook her head. "I have no clue either. It's time to clean up and find some breakfast." Her head tilted and she gave Emma a calculated look. "Then we'll talk."

Emma nodded, but didn't verbally respond. They quickly washed up, the water becoming tepid before they finished.

They were out in the guest bedroom within ten minutes, and Emma frowned as she eyed her dress. She turned to see Regina getting dressed in fresh clothes, and scowled.

"You have clothes here?"

"Mhm. I used to sleep over here a fair bit. I only do so occasionally now. This room is sort of...unofficially mine," Regina admitted as she finished buttoning her three-quarter sleeved red oxford. She thought for a moment, and unbuttoned another button so that just a hint of cleavage would show.

Emma was still staring at the brunette as she considered the meaning behind Regina both having clothes and an 'unofficial' room at Daniel's house.

"Something the matter, dear?" Regina asked as she noticed Emma's stare.

Emerald eyes glanced down at her own nudity. "Oh, uh. Just not looking forward to the walk of shame in last night's dress."

Regina laughed musically at the admission. She eyed Emma for a moment, before again approaching the dresser. She combed through it a moment, and tugged out a satin aquamarine shirt and dark navy capris. "I'm afraid I can't really help you with underwear or shoes."

"That's fine. My bra is alright and I can survive commando until I get home. I'm glad I wore low heeled shoes last night, at least." Emma quietly began to dress, finding the borrowed clothes fit rather well.

Another laugh escaped Regina as she glanced down at her own black skinny jeans and the red stilettos on her feet.

Emma saw her look and grinned. "And I'm eternally grateful that you wore your 'fuck-me' heels."

Regina winced at the vulgarity, but gave Emma a half smile. "It seems they more than earned that _charming_ term last night."

The air grew thick as they stared at each other. "Definitely," Emma murmured as she stepped forward. Her stomach growled loudly and halted her in her tracks.

"Rain check, dear. You burned a lot of calories last night," Regina's lips twitched a little in amusement. "Some protein is probably in order for the soreness you'll surely be feeling."

They walked to the door, and Emma shifted anxiously. "What are we going to tell everyone?"

"Nothing. They won't ask." Regina visibly hesitated. "I trust you can be discrete?"

"Of course," Emma stated confidently, emphasizing the honesty of her words with a nod.

"Excellent. I assure you we'll talk before you have to leave to pick up your son."

Emma put her hand on the doorknob, but Regina halted her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Hold still," she murmured as she rearranged Emma's hair so that the smattering of bite marks near the left side of the pale jaw was covered. She leaned to brush a soft kiss to a pink-tinged cheek. "Better."

Emma cleared her throat nervously and opened the door, wishing she could feel as calm as Regina looked.

* * *

><p>Despite Emma's fears the house seemed relatively deserted, though they found a half finished pot of coffee in the kitchen.<p>

Regina hummed as she filled a mug, and tilted her head at Emma with a questioning look. When she received an affirmative nod she filled a second mug, and deposited it as well a bottle of creamer and the jar of sugar in front of Emma.

Emma smiled in thanks and mixed a bit of both in until it was as sweet as she liked. She observed Regina moving around the kitchen with some interest. It was apparent that Regina was as comfortable in Daniel's house as she probably was in her own home.

"How about a veggie scramble?" Regina inquired as she took stock of what was left in the refrigerator.

"Sure, yeah. Sounds good." Emma would eat anything with how hollow her belly felt.

She enjoyed watching Regina and the ease with which she prepared the vegetables, a concentrated look on her face. "You enjoy cooking, don't you?"

Regina looked up with a smile, her eyes animated. "Yes. My mother was miserable in the kitchen, but my father..." Her eyes grew dreamy as her words trailed off. "Daddy loved to cook. Some of my favorite memories growing up are with him, in the kitchen."

The love that shone through Regina's face and eyes made Emma's breath catch, never having seen anything quite like that on the woman's face before.

"That sounds nice," she murmured. That look made her ache. She wanted that kind of love. She'd wanted that kind of love her whole life. Her thoughts halted.

She hoped Henry knew that's the kind of love she'd felt for him from the first moment she'd held him and looked down at his little wrinkled face.

A steaming plate was deposited in front of her, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Thanks," she said, smilingly brightly up at Regina.

Regina nodded and grabbed her own plate, clutching some cutlery in her free hand. "Come on, it's a lovely day. Why don't we go eat out on the patio?"

Emma nodded and snagged her coffee mug and plate. Regina had walked on ahead, and Emma noticed she'd forgotten her own coffee behind. She carefully set her mug down next to Regina's and moved them together so she could grab both handles in one hand.

She was thankful that mugs weren't overly full as she cautiously made her way out to the patio. The doors were open, and Regina looked up as she stepped over the threshold.

Dark umber eyes shone at her in amusement, and the brunette was quick to move forward to relieve her of the coffee mugs.

As they settled down to eat in adjacent chairs, Emma was again glad she'd come to the party. She'd glimpsed bits of the softer side of Regina, but never like this, and never directed at her. She felt even more drawn to the complicated woman than she did before.

Part of her couldn't help but be alarmed by that realization. She quieted that part for now, wanting to both enjoy the morning and wait until she and Regina had talked before making any decisions.

Breakfast was quiet, only the sounds of nature and the silverware against their plates accompanying the pleasant time.

As Emma finished the last bite on her plate, she gave Regina a satisfied smile. "Thanks for cooking breakfast, it was really good."

Regina finished chewing the bite she'd just taken and swallowed, a small smirk on her face. "You earned it."

Emma chortled at the look on her face. "You seem so pleased about that."

"I do believe we both were, dear."

The blonde's words were cut off by the sound of someone shuffling around in the dining room. A moment later Daniel stepped outside still in his pajamas and a long robe. His hair was mussed, and he didn't look quite awake just yet.

"Ah, Gina. I wanted to check on you last night but your door was locked. I thought you might have been having a nightmare or something. It was kind of hard to tell with the sounds of the party in the background."

Regina tried her best not to snicker, darting a glance to a rather uncomfortable looking Emma. "I slept very well actually. Thanks for your concern." She turned to look at Daniel and simultaneously slid her left hand to rub softly at Emma's knee.

Daniel squinted a little at them, a small frown growing on his face. "You made Emma breakfast? Are you two finally getting along?"

Emma tried not to gasp as Regina's hand slid up her inner thigh, her knuckles teasingly brushing across an area that was still rather tender from their all-night adventures. She flicked her eyes to Regina, who seemed completely at ease.

"Oh yes, Miss Swan and I ended up...talking for quite a while last night. It was quite illuminating." The words came out as a purr, and Emma tried to ignore the sparks of arousal she was experiencing.

The tall man straightened, putting one hand on his hip. The other wagged a finger at Regina in admonishment. "Now, Regina. We're not in the office. You can call her Emma."

Emma shifted in her seat, not sure if she wanted to scoot forward to increase the pressure of Regina's hand or scoot backward in embarrassment. She cleared her throat.

"Emma is right here and can speak for herself." When Regina's eyes turned to focus on her she spoke again. "I would think after our _conversation_ you wouldn't mind calling me Emma."

Warm chocolate eyes looked at her in amusement. "As I recall I called you Emma a number of times last night. I'd just rather save it for special occasions, dear."

Emma pushed her chair back abruptly, feeling incredibly warm and not wanting Regina to realize she was probably about to soak through the borrowed capris. "That makes sense I guess," she cleared her throat again as she stood and gathered the empty plates and used cutlery. "I'll just take these in to the kitchen."

Regina watched her go for a moment, bringing her left hand up to tuck some loose hair behind an ear. Emma's soft scent wafted to her nose, and her smile was bright as she returned her attention to Daniel.

"I really am happy you guys are getting along. She's not a bad person. I think she really will do great at the firm." He moved to stand behind her chair, hands moving to her shoulders to give her an affectionate squeeze.

He rubbed at her shoulders and neck a few moments in a familiar gesture, before leaning down to press a kiss to the crown of her head. Movement at the door caught his attention. "Ah, Emma!" He straightened and offered her a congenial smile. "I hope you enjoyed the party. If you'll both excuse me, I need a cup of coffee."

Daniel wandered past Emma, oblivious to her sudden discomfort.

Regina looked at her impassively, tilting her head after a moment. "Would you like to talk now?"

Emma nibbled at her lower lip, her eyes subconsciously darting toward the kitchen. "I think that would be a good idea. I've got about an hour before I should leave if I want to pick up Henry on time."

"Alright." Regina stood placidly. "Follow me." She stepped into the house, closing the patio doors behind her and not caring about the coffee mugs they'd left on the table. She led Emma back through the dining room the large hallway, selecting a door and ushering Emma inside.

Viridian eyes darted around the office, noting the antique desk, large leather office chair, and bookcases stuffed to their capacity.

Regina locked the door and gestured to the large leather sofa facing an unlit fireplace. Emma sat on the furthest cushion to the left and watched as the older woman hesitated before sitting a little off-center. She was close to Emma, but not too close.

That sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, neither sure where to start the conversation. Regina huffed impatiently and rolled her eyes, upset with herself for not knowing how to articulate her thoughts. "Emma," she began with a serious look on her face.

The use of her first name drew Emma's attention immediately, and she focused on Regina's face intently as the sable haired woman began to speak.

"Technically, I am still your boss and these recent developments infinitely complicate that. Understand that if you wish to continue a...dalliance or such, this would have to completely remain outside of the office." Her hands were clasped together in her lap as she spoke, the fidgeting of her fingers Emma's only indication that Regina was far more nervous than she seemed.

Emma cleared her throat. "If we did continue, what exactly would it mean?"

Regina opened her mouth and took a breath, closing it again. "I'm not really certain. I'm a very difficult person Emma, and I've never done terribly well at relationships. I suppose that part should be up to you."

A pale hand combed through blonde locks nervously as Emma considered the words. "I haven't really done a relationship since...Henry's dad. I'm not sure I'd know how to go through with one of those either. Besides that, we kind of just really have last night going for us. It was an amazing night, but you and I haven't really gotten along much before now."

Regina's knuckles whitened as she clenched her hands together and her heart rate accelerated.

"That being said, it was a really incredible night and I think we'd be missing out on something really amazing if we didn't at least explore things a little. Let's not call it a relationship or dating or anything. If things happen, they happen." Emma swallowed as she finished speaking.

A relieved sigh escaped Regina. While she certainly didn't see herself calling Emma something as asinine as her girlfriend, she hadn't wanted to let that rare passion she'd found in the other woman go.

"There is _one_ thing, Emma." She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. "I would really rather prefer that if you do decide to...spend time with someone other than me you either don't tell me, or make sure it's no one at the office so I don't find out. I have no claims on you, but I do have a problem with jealousy, as you might have guessed."

Emma laughed at the words, her verdant eyes dancing. "Do I really have to? I really liked how you responded to jealousy last night."

Umber eyes flashed dangerously at her and Regina spoke with a warning edge to her voice. "Emma."

She held up her hands in response, not wanting to upset the fiery woman. "No problem Regina."

"Excellent," Regina purred. Her eyes flicked over to the antique grandfather clock that stood to the left of the fireplace. "That didn't take long."

Emma relaxed back into the couch, one arm resting along the back and the other on the armrest. "No, for once we were on the same page about something."

Regina scooted closer, her eyes half lidded. "I wonder if you can tell what page I'm on now?"

The moisture at the crux of Emma's borrowed pants was suddenly refreshed as Regina pressed their bodies together. She cleared her throat uncomfortably, "I'm still pretty sore from last night." Her tone was mournful.

An olive toned hand brushed softly over her thigh. "I could kiss you _very_ softly."

Emma's breathing increased and her eyes widened a little, and she glanced down at herself. "There?" she squeaked out. In their many varied couplings the previous night, they'd been unable to pull their mouths apart for very long, so there had been a few things they hadn't gotten around to.

Regina nodded and slid off the couch and onto her knees in front of Emma, giving her a wicked smile. The rug was thick and plush under her knees.

The sight was far too enticing for Emma, and she leaned forward to initiate a ravenous kiss. She moaned as their mouths made contact, her vulva throbbing with the intensity of her arousal. She could feel Regina smiling into the kiss at her victory.

* * *

><p>Daniel walked into his office a while later, dressed and humming to himself. He was surprised to find Regina happily cleaning his overstuffed leather couch.<p>

She gave him a bright smile and got back to vigorously cleaning and drying.

He tilted his head. "Did you spill something on my couch?"

Regina glanced at him, a mysterious smile on her face. "I'm afraid so. I was a little too enthusiastic earlier."

He frowned and shrugged, "Well thanks for cleaning it up. Did you say goodbye to Emma before she left?"

"Oh, yes. We had another little chat just before she dashed off to go pick up her son." Regina kept her head down so Daniel couldn't see her smirk.

"That's nice." He walked over to lean on his desk since his couch was unavailable. "You want to spend the night tonight? I was hoping to catch you last night, but I guess it wasn't in the stars."

Regina glanced up to see his usual charming smile, and for once in a very long time didn't feel the least inclined to take him up on his offer. "I appreciate the thought, but I'm really quite tired. I was up rather late last night." She finished drying the leather with a flourish and stood, giving Daniel a small smile as she exited the office.

Daniel frowned into the empty room. Regina almost never said no to spending the night, and she'd gone to bed rather early the night before. He worried that something might be wrong with his best friend. Perhaps he'd done something to upset her?

He rubbed at his chin a moment as he considered what he knew. His eyes widened after a while. Regina had talked to Emma, and he'd tried to make a move on the blonde woman last night. He brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Emma didn't seem like the sort to make a formal complaint, but perhaps she'd been uncomfortable enough to bring it up to Regina.

He vowed to do some major groveling. His relationship with Regina was complicated on the best of days, and between that and the headaches she endured for him at work, he really was scared to lose her. He really had just misread the camaraderie he shared with Emma as the potential for something more.

Daniel never once thought to ask what room Emma had stayed in the night before.

* * *

><p>"Why are you smiling so much Ma?" Henry eyed the driving woman suspiciously.<p>

Emma made a concerned effort to straighten her face, taking a deep breath to relax and clear her mind from the memories she'd been having of the passionate kisses she and Regina had parted with. "No particular reason."

Green eyes eerily like her own narrowed. "When did you get that shirt? Or those...whatever those pants are called?"

The driving woman rolled her eyes. "Fine. I went to a work party last night at a co-worker's house. I ended up spending the night and borrowed some clothes so I wouldn't have to feel grungy coming home in the same dress I wore last night."

"Oh." Henry sounded genuinely surprised. "That's cool. Did you have a good time?"

"Sure did kiddo. How about you?" She glanced over to see his face light up with enthusiasm.

"Mike's house is so awesome!"

Emma was entertained for the rest of the drive home as her son energetically recounted the best moments of the sleepover in great detail. She laughed at the faces he made and the silly voices he used to emulate a few of the other kids that had gone to the sleepover.

By the time they'd parked in their usual spot in front of their apartment complex, Henry's energy level had finally gotten back to a more normal level.

"What are we having for dinner?" He inquired as they waited on the elevator to bring them to their floor.

"Haven't really thought about it yet, any preferences?" She had the dress from the night before draped over an arm.

"Can we order out? I wouldn't mind some pizza." His eyes were bright and hopeful when he looked at her.

She scoffed, "Didn't you have pizza last night? You're going to turn into a tomato if you keep eating it all the time."

He gave her an unimpressed look. "That's impossible Ma. You might have made me believe that when I was little, but I'm almost twelve now! I've taken science classes, duh."

Emma chuckled, and shoved his shoulder playfully. "No matter how old you'll get you'll always be my baby boy!" She leaned over to give him a noisy wet kiss.

"Ew, Maaaaa!" he whined and darted out of the elevator as they finally arrived at their floor.

She laughed loudly as she followed him to their apartment door and unlocked it. They were inside the small space a moment later, and she tossed her keys over onto the coffee table and kicked off her pumps from last night.

"Go ahead and order from Conans kid, I'm gonna go change into my own clothes." She couldn't help but spoil her son a little now that she could afford it.

"Okay!" came the excited response. She chuckled to herself again as she closed her bedroom door and set her dress down on her bed. A groan escaped her as she stretched, and she began to remove the clothes Regina had so helpfully supplied.

The sound of her phone beeping drew her attention halfway through undressing. She gently placed the soft shirt down and picked up her phone from where she'd tossed on her bed a moment before.

She grinned when she saw the name of the person who had sent the text, and she pressed the button to read the message.

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

_'You forgot something, dear.'_

Just below the message was a picture of the panties she'd worn the night before.

Her phone beeped again, and she swallowed hard and scrolled down to read the message.

_'We'll have to meet up some time to make an exchange for the things you borrowed. Until then, I'll just hold on to these.'_

Emma sat heavily on her bed, flopping down to lie on her back after a moment.

"Regina is gonna kill me, I know it." She smiled dreamily. "And I'll probably love every second of it."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Read at work at your own risk. Further delays have come up, and I'm sorry to say updates for "Wicked Games" will probably be down to once a week.

* * *

><p>Regina smirked to herself as she pulled into her space on Sunday morning. She and Emma had exchanged some stimulating texts the previous night, and Regina found herself looking forward to finding time for another rendezvous.<p>

She had woken up early today and decided to run out to the local farmers' market. She'd come back with a fantastic collection of goodies, and she was looking forward to making a fine summer salad with a chicken breast she would marinade later for dinner.

It took a few short moments to collect her bags, and she hummed as she recalled the fresh berries one of the friendly older men had talked her in to trying. She'd bought far more of the things than she could possibly eat. Perhaps she'd make smoothies later as a special treat. The thought made her smile.

Her weekend was turning out to be quite lovely.

As she was putting away her buys from the market, she was startled when her phone suddenly went off in the quiet. She didn't usually receive calls at this time of day on a Sunday, and she wondered who it could be.

She reached the loudly vibrating object, once again wondering what the purpose of the vibration setting was if it was as equally jarring as a loud ringtone. She frowned when she saw Daniel's name. He usually wasn't awake this early on Sundays.

"Daniel?" her confusion was apparent.

"_Heeey, Gina! I've been thinking about you. I missed you last night._" His voice was overly cheerful, and Regina was filled with concern as she eyed the clock.

She could just barely detect a slur to his voice. "Daniel, it's a quarter after nine...are you drunk?"

"_Drunk? Who's drunk? That's preposterous._" The slur was more evident with the last word.

"Daniel," she closed her eyes and groaned, one hand coming up to massage her forehead. "We've talked about this. You need to get this under control or go back to rehab. It's been a long time since you've stayed up all night drinking – why would you do this now?" She was frustrated, but she did her best to make her voice sound even.

"_Gina,_" Daniel's voice grew serious. "_You weren't wearing your necklace at the party._"

Regina's lips parted. She was certain Daniel had long ago stopped caring about such things. She cleared her throat carefully. "What of it?"

"_I haven't seen you without that necklace since you got it,_" his voice was solemn.

A sigh escaped Regina, and she felt very tired. "Perhaps I thought it was time to leave certain things in the past."

"_Am I losing you?_" Daniel's voice cracked, and she could hear him clearing his throat.

She sighed again. "What did you tell me the day you broke off our engagement?"

The line was silent for a few moments. "_That I loved you and we'd always be best friends. I was sorry I wasn_—"

"That's enough," she interrupted him, not wanting to hear the entire speech that still inspired a great deal of pain for her. "That's what I wanted you to remember."

"_But Gina, I've never seen you without the necklace,_" _and the ring_ came the unspoken words. "_Is there someone else?_"

Fury grew in Regina, and she tried to tamp it down as she remembered Daniel was drunk. "As I recall, that's no longer any of your business. Isn't that what you told me the night I went over to your house to find you with that blonde, what was her name, Felicia? Or the redhead after, do you even remember their names?"

"_No,_" came the low response.

"You never do, dear. As you've made it clear, you can sleep with whomever you like, just as I can," her tone was hard and unforgiving. For years she'd fallen into line with whatever Daniel had wanted, but she was tired. Him hiring Emma had broken something within her, and she wouldn't let that very old love dictate her life any further.

It wasn't a possibility after she'd found such a spark with someone other than him – a feat she'd long ago thought was impossible. It gave her hope that she could find it again and perhaps find someone she _could_ safely fall in love with.

Part of her wanted to tell him that she'd spent hours fucking Emma when the woman wouldn't even spare him a glance, but she wouldn't let him taint that surprising coupling. Perhaps when she'd approached Emma at the party she hadn't been entirely sure who she was more jealous of, but as she considered it, her instinct had been to chase Emma down and not Daniel.

"_Does this mean we'll never...be together again?_" Daniel's voice wavered.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and counted to twenty. "I can't see into the future, but at this point that doesn't seem like it would be a possibility, no." Trust the man to focus on the fact that she wouldn't casually sleep with him any more.

"_I love you Gina, you know that right?_" His voice was insistent and pleading.

The words still inspired a pang. "Yes, I know. Would you please just drink some water and go to bed? You shouldn't be drinking alcohol at this hour of the morning."

Daniel's voice was watery when he spoke again. "_You didn't say you love me too._"

Regina pulled the phone away from her face and growled, only just barely resisting the urge to throw it at the wall. She took a deep breath and brought the phone back up to her face. "You know part of me will always love you," she admitted in a defeated voice. "Now please stop drinking and get some sleep."

"_Kay Gina. Good night,_" the call ended as abruptly as it started.

She carefully placed her phone down and ran a hand through her hair. Interacting with Daniel had become incredibly taxing lately, and she thought it might be time to seriously sit him down and try and talk him into rehab again.

Her phone vibrated again, and her hands clenched against the counter top as she considered ignoring it. She picked it up with a sigh and pressed the accept button. "Daniel, I thought I told you to go to bed."

"_Uh,_" came the decidedly feminine voice. "_This isn't Daniel?_" The voice was a little higher pitched than normal with its confusion, but Regina felt relieved as she recognized it.

"Emma," she breathed softly. Her body relaxed and pleasure coursed through her at the much more appealing voice. "I wasn't expecting so many calls this morning, you'll have to excuse my confusion."

Emma's soft laugh sounded over the line, and delighted tingles traveled down Regina's spine at the sound. "_Consider yourself excused,_" she coughed once and her voice grew nervous. "_I was actually calling to see if you were doing anything around dinner time?_"

Regina's head tilted as she considered the question. She pulled the phone away to look at it for a moment. "I hadn't made any concrete plans," she said carefully.

"_Cool! I was hoping if I called early enough then maybe I might have a shot,_" Emma babbled nervously. "_Um, a friend of mine invited Henry over to her niece's birthday party and she said it was fine if I just dropped him off and picked him up later. So, I was thinking,_" her voice trailed off.

She'd just seen Regina the previous day, and she wasn't sure the other woman was comfortable seeing each other again so soon. It really wasn't her fault – Regina had teased her mercilessly via text the previous night.

Dark brows hiked up at the offer, and a smirk settled onto Regina's face. "You must not be as sore as I thought," she purred.

A choked sound echoed over the phone line, and Regina laughed silently. "_Is that a yes?_"

"Yes," Regina smiled. "If you like you can come over to my loft, I picked up some lovely things from the farmers' market I was planning to use for dinner."

Emma's heart picked up a bit at that. With food involved, it would seem more like a date. Then again, she could hardly keep up with Regina if she wasn't fed. Food didn't make it a date, and she already knew Regina was a spectacular cook. "_If you're sure that's alright, then I'd love that._"

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it Emma." Her Sunday was back on track to finishing very welll.

"_Alright,_" Emma grinned into her phone. "_Just give me your information, and I'll see you around six?_"

"That sounds lovely, dear. I'll text you my address to make it easier. I'll see you then."

They were both grinning as the call ended.

* * *

><p>Henry scurried off as soon as they were through the door, and Eugenia grunted at him and shook her head. "Kids these days." The amused glint in her periwinkle eyes belied her true feelings. The older woman knew Henry was, in fact, quite a young gentleman. She turned to face Emma, nodding once in greeting. "You staying for dinner?"<p>

Emma shook her head sheepishly in response, mildly afraid Genie would be upset with her abrupt departure.

Eugenia grunted, "Don't blame ya. These kids are gonna be hyped up on pizza and pop. Get out while you still can," she added wisely as she wandered off to discover what child had just released a somewhat painful sounding yelp.

Ruby laughed as her grandmother stalked off, and she turned to focus her attention on her friend. The lanky brunette had dressed a little more conservatively today in skinny jeans and a loose gray tunic since she was aware they would be hosting a small brood of pre-teen children.

"Sure you don't wanna stay, Em? We ordered a ton of pizza for the kids, and you know Grace likes you." Ruby gave her friend an odd look. Emma usually didn't say no to free food.

Emma shifted a little on her feet, thrusting her hands into her pockets to try and hide her nervousness. "No, uh. I'm sure I'll find something to eat."

Grey-blue eyes narrowed at the tell-tale signs of Emma being untruthful. "Do you have plans somewhere else?"

"Maybe," the blonde mumbled, scuffing one booted foot against the thin carpet.

"Oh hell no, you're not allowed to leave until you tell me more! Is it a date? Man or woman? Are they hot?" The questions came rapidly, and Emma tried to withhold a blush.

"Uh, not really a date. It's more of a...casual thing." A hand came up to massage the back of her neck anxiously.

Ruby squealed in excitement, and she lowered her voice, mindful of the children in the house. "Casual sex? When did this happen?"

"Remember that office party I told you about?" Emma admitted with a rueful smile.

Surprise showed on her friend's face. "Office party? So it's someone you work with?"

"Uh, remember that smoking hot boss that I told you was kind of a bitch?" Her lips twitched as she recalled the phone calls she'd shared with the woman she considered her best friend.

"Holy shit! So all that tension was sexual after all! I'm so gonna tell Granny!" Ruby laughed, but she calmed down after a moment and shot Emma a look. "Well, what the hell are you waiting for? Get out of here and go have hot monkey sex! The party ends at eight-thirty, but Henry can hang out til ten or so. I'm pretty sure he has a crush on Grace so he won't mind."

Emma's face was hot and she cleared her throat. "Okay then, uh, we'll see. I'll text you before I leave to come pick him up."

Ruby gave her a wicked grin in response. "I want details."

Viridian eyes rolled in response. "That'll never happen."

"Hey, a gal can dream, can't she?"

Emma didn't bother to respond, instead giving Genie and the kids a quick wave before ducking out of the front door. As she walked out to her car, the excitement she'd been holding back came to the forefront of her mind. She had plans for Regina.

* * *

><p>Emma shifted nervously as she reached Regina's door. She hadn't taken into account how upscale her boss's building might be. As she'd traversed her way to the elevators, she was certain both the doorman and the guy at the front desk were wondering what the hell someone like her was doing there.<p>

She'd almost turned around and left, but then she thought of Regina up in her loft alone just waiting for her to arrive. Her imagination conjured all sorts of potential receptions, most of which involved lingerie or strategic parts of the sultry woman's body covered with whipped cream.

That imagery had proved more powerful than the discomfort she now felt in her skinny jeans, white t-shirt, scuffed boots, and red leather jacket. She took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.

Footsteps sounded, the usual click of heels accompanying Regina's approach. There was a pause, and then the door was finally opened.

Regina's eyes trailed over the expanse of Emma's body with one onyx brow raised and a small smirk on her lips. Emma licked her lips at the expression, before letting her own eyes roam the body before her.

The dark haired woman was wearing a soft, red dress that alternately clung to flesh and draped over strategic places. Green eyes were drawn to exposed decolletage of the scoop neck.

"I somehow cannot be surprised at your choice of wardrobe; your choices do seem to be all _you."_ The low voice was amused.

Emma wasn't quite sure if she'd just been insulted or complimented, but somehow neither option bothered her. A familiar tension grew in her abdomen, and she smirked at Regina as she stepped through the wide open doorway. The insecurity she'd felt on the bottom floor melted away in the face of the powerful dynamic she and the brunette shared.

"Well you did get to know me pretty intimately between yesterday and the night before," Emma quipped with her own smirk in place.

Umber eyes glinted at the reference, and Regina reflexively licked her crimson lips as she firmly shut the door and locked it. "A quick refresh wouldn't hurt," she murmured as she stepped forward and pressed their bodies together.

She breathed softly against Emma's pale pink lips before sucking the fuller lower lip hungrily into her mouth. Her hands settled tightly over Emma's hips, her fingers clenching rhythmically in tune with her mouth.

Emma's hips jerked in surprise, and her eyes slid closed as she dove enthusiastically into the kiss, her own hands settling on the curves of Regina's ass.

Regina smirked into the kiss as her tongue slid out to meet Emma's. She carefully began to maneuver the blonde backward until she was firmly trapped between Regina and the wall.

She pulled away so her lips were just brushing Emma's and rolled her hips so that her thigh pressed intimately into her companion. "Emma," the deep timbre of her voice sent an electric shock through Emma's core. "Did you touch yourself last night?"

"Fuck," Emma replied as more wetness flooded her underwear.

Regina bit at a pink lip sharply, "Focus, dear, and then we'll get to that. Answer my question."

The air between them was molten and heavy as Emma stared into Regina's glinting eyes. "Yes."

The older woman's eyes were half-lidded at the response, her pupils dilated. A red nailed hand trailed from Emma's hip to settle over the button and zipper of her jeans. A tongue slid out to moisten vermilion lips. "One last question: were you thinking about the last thing I texted you?"

Emma's eyes slid closed again, the feeling of Regina's hand brushing lightly over where she needed her almost as distracting as the illicitly ravenous look on her boss's face. Her lips parted as she recalled last night, and the text that had spurred her into relieving the wet ache in her core. Her viridian eyes opened, and she looked right at Regina. "Yes."

Regina shuddered and her nostrils flared, but she didn't speak. Her hand swiftly undid the front of Emma's jeans and slid inside past sodden underwear and right into the slick heat that was Emma. She groaned at the intoxicating sensation, her eyes barely slits as she enjoyed the texture of the silkiness between her fingers and the delicate scent of arousal.

"What would you like Emma?" she asked throatily, her lips barely touching the skin of Emma's cheek.

Pale pink lips trembled as Emma considered her options. She wondered if Regina would...well, there was only one way to find out. She panted lightly before gathering her courage to respond. "Your mouth...want you on your knees," she mumbled.

Regina pulled back, a thoughtful look on her face. The smirk grew on her face again. "Something you've thought about a lot, I see. Perhaps even at the office when I'm giving you hell? Is that it Emma, is that how you keep your temper? You imagine me on my knees, sucking you greedily into my mouth?"

Dark brows rose, and brown eyes traveled to the seam of Emma's jeans and the abundance of moisture that had just flooded her hand. "Well, well," she purred.

Regina slid her hands around to Emma's backside, and with one long, firm tug, brought the jeans and underwear down past Emma's knees. Emma's hands scrambled to brace against the wall at the sudden movement. The cool air was nearly painful against her exposed womanhood, and her heartbeat accelerated as she witnessed Regina shift from a crouch and onto her knees.

The sexy smirk was still in place, and Regina stared up at Emma as she leaned forward, her pink tongue extended for the first taste of Emma's well-lubricated vulva.

Short hairs tickled at Regina's nose, but her sultry gaze never wavered. Emma's eyes began to slide closed as Regina enveloped the soft nether lips in her mouth, and the kneeling woman immediately pulled away.

The dark head shook, "Uh-uh Emma, this is your fantasy. If you stop watching, I'll stop too."

Emma groaned. Of course Regina would find some way to maintain the power in a fantasy that literally had the woman on her knees. Thrilled tingles traveled down her spine at the thought, and her knuckles and fingertips were white with the force she used to press against the wall and try to keep her focus. She licked her lips and nodded, riveted as she saw Regina lean forward again to suck lightly at her sensitive nub.

"Fuck," she growled. Having to watch Regina was going to have her coming far more quickly than she would like, but as she observed the gentle swaying of the commanding woman's head, she found she couldn't regret that in the least. The image alone was a wet dream come true.

Her breaths came quicker and faster, the heat of Regina's brown gaze intent and focused on her every reaction.

Regina wriggled her tongue teasingly as she realized the standing woman was getting very close to the edge, and she was unable to resist sliding two fingers back up and into Emma.

Emma gasped at the sudden full feeling, and she felt her clit being sucked back into Regina's mouth just a moment before her body erupted, an unintelligible yell passing her lips as she fought to keep her eyes open and on the face below her.

Regina pulled her mouth away after a few moments, pressing one last kiss against the quivering lips in front of her before carefully removing her hand. She leaned back, idly bringing her soaked hand to her mouth to lave the moisture up.

Viridian eyes were unfocused and hazy as they observed the movement. "You're going to kill me," she admitted with a hoarse voice.

The dark head tilted as Regina daintily swiped her tongue between her fingers one last time. "I don't know what you mean, dear."

A laugh escaped Emma at her lover's faux innocent look.

Regina held up her dry hand in a silent request for assistance, and Emma tugged her pants up into a semblance of order before assisting the kneeling woman to her feet.

She leaned over to press a satisfied kiss to Regina's still smirking lips. "Are you going to ever lose that smug look?"

A soft chuckle sounded lowly between them. "Around you? I doubt it Emma. You do wonders for my ego."

Emma's mouth opened, but before she could respond Regina cut her off. "Not now dear, we should get cleaned up before dinner." Her hand slid into Emma's to tug her along into the guest bathroom on the first level.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later they were seated comfortably at Regina's large, glossy, dark-stained mahogany dining table. Two elaborate salads were served up, the chicken perfectly seared against the bed of lettuce and mixed vegetables.<p>

Emma's tongue poked out as she attempted to spear a tricky vegetable with her fork.

Regina watched in amusement, cupping her chin in one hand as she leaned her weight on her elbow against the table, her other hand bringing a glass of red wine to her lips every now and then.

"Woo!" Emma crowed triumphantly as she managed to finally collect the difficult veggie. She tucked the fork between her lips and pulled it free, chewing gleefully to show her dominance over the inanimate object.

Her eyes moved up as she continued chewing, only to meet delighted mocha eyes. A flush of heat grew on her cheeks, and she cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Hm?" Regina blinked, "Oh, yes. I found myself a little distracted with your...purposeful effort to feed yourself." She turned her attention to her own salad bowl, placing her wine glass down to collect her fork and knife in each hand.

She patiently began to cut and collect her first bite, humming a little at the first taste. The textures of the fresh vegetables were exceedingly pleasant, and she found the flavors paired well for a wholly enjoyable dinner.

When she looked back up at her dinner companion, it was to find Emma staring at her this time.

She quirked a brow in question, angling her head when Emma remained silent.

Emma flashed her a quick smile, returning her attention to her own meal. She didn't want to tell Regina that she often found herself completely fascinated by even the most mundane tasks the brunette set herself to. Emma couldn't really explain her utter enthrallment. It was a nearly primal thing; instinctive, hard to control, and addictive in its overwhelming fervor.

Her body felt feverish and achy with lust, and the only cure she knew also made her affliction worse. She'd prided herself on never falling prey to any one addiction, but now she knew her number had finally been called. The craving for Regina seemed to grow fiercer the longer she was around the scintillating woman.

She forced her attention away from the woman in question, instead focusing on each step she needed to feed herself. She could exercise self-control dammit. She wasn't a slave to her desires.

_Scoop, chew, swallow._

She repeated the mantra in her head, and applauded herself when she saw the salad almost entirely cleared away after a few minutes.

"Would you like some dessert? I made a mixed berry tart."

Emma blinked to focus on Regina again. "Huh?"

The hint of a smile played at the corners Regina's lips as she repeated herself. "Dessert? Berry tart?"

The blonde's brow furrowed. "Maybe a small piece. I don't want to get over-full."

Regina hummed in acceptance, standing to clear away their plates. Emma halted her with a hand, instead gathering the dishes and cutlery herself.

The older woman said nothing at the moment of politeness, and instead accepted the gesture with a nod to lead Emma into her kitchen.

Viridian eyes took in the well-appointed kitchen in a quick glance, not surprised in the least at the range of appliances for preparing and cooking food. It was easily apparent that Regina happily spent a lot of time in the kitchen. She located the trash can and moved to quickly scrape off the few remnants of food, and then stepped to the sink to rinse the dishes.

Regina smiled at the thoroughness and moved to retrieve some plates and dessert forks. She pulled the moderately sized tart from the refrigerator and carefully removed the lid she'd placed over the dessert dish.

It took her a few moments to cut and serve the tart, and she spared Emma a glance as she replaced the remaining piece back into the refrigerator. "Whipped cream, dear?"

Emma froze from drying her hands on the small hand towel she'd located to one side of the sink. She had been facing away from Regina, and she turned to quickly see what the other woman was referring to.

Regina was poised in front of her refrigerator, one hand cupping a clear glass bowl of freshly whipped cream.

A choked sound came from Emma's throat, and she coughed once to clear it. "Yeah, sounds good."

She received an odd look at her tone, but Regina just shrugged and closed the door to the refrigerator. She took out a serving spoon and added a generous portion of cream to one plate, and a more modest scoop to another.

Instead of taking the plates back out to the dining room, Regina headed to the breakfast nook and placed the dishes at the much more reasonably-sized square table that resided there. She slid onto the padded bench in front of the plate with the smaller portion of both tart and cream, and patiently waited for Emma to take her seat across from her.

Emma eyed the bowl of cream still on the counter for a moment before joining Regina. Inquisitive chocolate eyes didn't miss the look, and Regina filed the information away.

A pale hand reached for the dainty dessert fork, and Emma carefully cut a piece of the tart before collecting some cream to go with the bite. She slid the morsel into her mouth, and moaned as she began to chew. "Oh my god, Henry would love this," she mumbled after she swallowed and began to repeat her previous procedure.

Regina chuckled in delight and carefully worked on her own piece of dessert. "I have more than I could possibly eat still there, perhaps you could take some home."

Emma looked at her brightly. "Yeah?" An amused nod was her only response. "Cool. I know Henry will love it." She turned back to quietly inhaling her dessert, her mind drifting away from her son as she cleared her plate.

She settled back against the cushion of her seat just in time to catch Regina scooping the remaining whipped cream from her plate up and into her mouth. Green eyes were riveted on the bottom-facing spoon as it was slowly tugged from Regina's full lips.

Her mind flashed to recent events in the brunette's front hallway, and the arousal that she'd successfully kept at bay for their dinner ripped forward violently to the front of her mind. Her elevated breathing was loud in the relative quiet of the kitchen, and Regina's eyes were pulled away from her plate only to darken as she took in Emma's lust-stained countenance.

"Well," she breathed. "I do believe dinner is over."

Regina stood abruptly and swiftly trekked across the room. She paused at the entryway to dart a glance over her shoulder. She angled her head and brought a hand up to the back of her dress to slowly begin unzipping it. "Coming, dear?"

When Emma leapt to her feet, Regina smiled and continued walking. Emma walked forward in time to admire the descent of the zipper as Regina made her way up the stairs without another glance behind her. Emma's feet were glued to the spot. She glanced at Regina, and then back to the kitchen. She ducked back into the kitchen and was out a few moments later, the bowl of whipped cream in one hand.

Soft laughter tumbled out of the master bedroom a few moments later when Emma arrived with her prize in hand.

* * *

><p>Emma stretched and yawned as she pulled back from her desk. Today's work had been mind-numbing so far. She'd had several documents to file in regards to certain databases she'd needed access to in order to provide well-rounded research for an assignment Tamara had been working on.<p>

She groaned at the snooty email Regina had sent her about messing up one form or another. Although Regina had reiterated Sunday that things would be different at work, the weekend had seemed so long and perfect that she'd nearly forgotten what her boss could be like at the office.

Her eyes found the clock as she considered the work she'd already finished and what she still needed to do before it was time to go home. She bit her lip as she mentally shuffled a few things around and nodded.

A small break wouldn't hurt. The walk to the break room would restore some blood flow to her brain and would hopefully help her wake up just as much as a cup of coffee would.

It didn't take long to make the familiar journey, and she poked her head through the door before walking in. The break room was empty. She was slightly disappointed. A few quick words with Leroy or Lance would do wonders to disrupt the monotony of her Monday so far.

She recalled with a sigh that both had field assignments, lucky cusses that they were. She stepped over to the coffee machine to serve herself some much needed caffeine. Low voices sounded behind her, and she got a little excited at the thought of company.

As they drew closer, a frown marred her face. It sounded like Regina and Daniel, and Regina didn't sound happy.

"—old you time and again not to bring these things up at the office, Daniel."

Regina stalked forward through the open door, jerking her shoulder where Daniel's large hand had settled in an attempt to dislodge it.

"Gina, come on. I just want..."his voice trailed off as he looked forward and noticed Emma for the first time. "Oh, hey Emma." His demeanor was oddly stiff, and it was the first time he'd greeted Emma with anything less than utter charm.

Regina's attention focused forward with a jolt, genuine surprise flashing on her face before her mask slid into place. "Miss Swan, do try not to linger in the break room for longer than is strictly necessary. I've already noted several more errors on the digital forms you've submitted today. Are you _trying_ to waste my time, or are you truly incapable of filling out a few forms?"

Emma gritted her teeth as a ball of fury started to form low in the pit of her stomach.

Dark umber eyes glinted at her wickedly, and the hint of the sneer on Regina's face made the bundle of anger grow. An odd look flashed over Regina's face for just a split second, and then Emma's mind was thrown back to yesterday evening.

Regina had given her a very similar look just before she'd flicked her tongue over Emma rather intimately in her foyer.

Emma's anger morphed into something else entirely, and instead of verbally responding to the pointed barbs, she turned and retrieved her coffee. She gave Regina a relaxed grin as she walked past her and headed back to her office.

She didn't miss the smirk Regina flashed at her or the small respectful tilt of her head at Emma's preserved self control.

Emma had to hand it to her boss, maintaining her temper at work had just become a lot easier to accomplish. She just hoped that she could pull her mind far enough away from her Sunday activities to be able to actually focus on the boring heaps of paperwork that still awaited her.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: As always, **beware reading at work**.

* * *

><p>A feminine palm pressed against slightly fogged up glass as Regina tried to steady herself.<p>

"Emma," she growled. "Stop teasing."

The woman in question grinned against a soft breast, nipping sharply at sensitive flesh in response. Her fingers danced against Regina's arousal-slickened vulva, her nail softly flicking against a sensitive nub once in while.

Regina panted, making a frustrated noise in her throat. Emma had been teasing her since they'd slid into the back seat of her BMW, and she was _so close_...but the infuriating blonde kept easing back as soon as her climax was within reach.

"If I'm late, we're never doing this before work again," she finally uttered.

Emma's head jerked up, eyes widened in surprise. As much as she loved teasing Regina, she loved sneaking in the intimate moments before work the handful of times they'd managed even more.

Her head bowed with renewed gusto, and she bit and sucked at the undersides of Regina's breasts just like the petite woman liked. Her hand moved with more purpose, her fingers doing a gentle massage on either side of engorged flesh.

Regina's back arched at the combined sensations, an unintelligible groan sounding from deep in her throat. Insistent fingers slid into her suddenly, and the hand in Emma's hair clenched tightly as she came wildly undone.

Emma let out her own groan as she kept thrusting, enjoying the rapturous sensation of Regina clenching around her tightly. "God," she panted softly as she brushed kisses against a delicate collar bone.

"Mm," Regina hummed in contentment. Her lips parted with a soft gasp when Emma pulled out, and she opened her eyes.

The blonde gave her a smirk.

A sable brow arched, and Regina reached out a hand to check the time on her phone. "Well I do hope you're satisfied Emma, because now I don't have enough time to return the favor properly."

Emma frowned as they sat up, uncomfortably aroused. After the first time it had happened in the heat of the moment, they'd both taken to packing spare underwear. At least she had fresh underwear, even if she'd be frustrated for the rest of the day. She felt gloomy as she considered having to work in her current state. Her head thumped against the back of her seat.

She was startled when she felt a hand at the seam of her slacks, and she looked at Regina in surprise.

"I didn't say there was no time at all, just that I can't return the favor _properly_."

Emma opened her mouth to respond, but was halted when Regina's hand was suddenly inside her underwear and then, "Oh, god."

Her eyes rolled up as Regina abruptly penetrated her, thumb steadily circling just around her clit. "You will come for me Emma," Regina demanded sharply, and Emma's hips jerked in reaction. "I know it's so easy for you after you've fucked me," she added in a low, teasing tone.

"Shit," Emma hissed, and her eyes squeezed shut forcefully as her body erupted from the rough touches and the overwhelming sensations Regina's voice and words inspired.

Regina bit at her ear as she rode out the sensation, a smug look on her face. As Emma sat panting, she idly wiped the excess moisture on her hand against the woman's underwear.

"There's just enough time left for you to get cleaned up before you have to start your day, I suggest you utilize that time wisely," The brunette calmly stated as she began buttoning up her blouse.

Emma blew out a breath as she tried to mentally shift gears. She adjusted her clothing so she would seem more put together and collected her messenger bag from the front seat.

She glanced to Regina, who was now finger coming her hair into semblance of order. Despite the woman's attempts to appear presentable, it was really clear to Emma that she'd just been fucked. There was a flush settled along her exposed neck and chest, and the heavy smell of sex lingering in the car was still affecting her if her dilated eyes and flared nostrils were anything to go by.

"How about this weekend?" Emma's voice was husky.

Regina stopped to consider her schedule. "Sunday would probably be best."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Emma would need to see what Henry would like to do on Sunday. She wanted to know if he'd be alright at Genie's or if he wanted to hang around at the apartment. If he wanted quality time with her, she wouldn't go to Regina's.

Emma always felt a little awkward when they parted from their little morning rendezvous; she was never certain if they should kiss or wave or just ignore what had happened.

"Don't linger too long dear, tardiness is still unacceptable." Regina shot her an impassive look as she opened the back passenger door and stepped out. She straightened her skirt, glad that she'd paid the extra money for a private parking space at the large office building's garage.

A chuckle rumbled silently in Emma's chest. The rate at which Regina could go from seductress to business-mode was impressive.

"Got it, your Royal Bossiness." Her eyes flicked to admire the way Regina's lips pursed in displeasure. She swung the strap of her bag over her head and across her chest as she strutted happily into the building.

Regina's head shook, and a faint hint of amusement twinkled in her eyes before she grabbed her own bag from the driver's seat and calmly followed in the blonde's wake after locking her vehicle up.

Having sex in her car before work didn't _technically_ violate her no-work policy, but it came a damned sight closer than she'd allowed anyone else - Daniel included. It had been a long time since she'd had such a palpable attraction to anyone, and she found an added excitement in the fact that they'd bent the rules on more than one occasion.

The trek up to her office was a little uncomfortable in her sodden undergarment, but she had long ago mastered her business mask. She gave Astrid a polite greeting on her way to her office, and she immediately made for her private bathroom.

Her mind drifted as she cleaned herself up from her morning encounter. Emma always insisted on engaging in their little power plays, even though Regina usually got her own way in the end. She hummed a little and admitted that perhaps it made each experience that much richer.

As she shimmied into her fresh panties, she shifted back to work mode. She tucked away the sullied undergarment into a small plastic bag she'd brought just for the occasion.

Emma had technically finished her month of desk duty, but Regina still hadn't felt comfortable sending the woman out on any field assignment yet. She had been waiting for something fairly simplistic to come across her desk, but hadn't been satisfied with any offerings just yet.

She washed her hands before finally heading out to her office, noting with satisfaction that she still had another three minutes before she was officially on the clock. Her computer hummed to life a moment later, and she waited patiently for it to boot.

The mouse clicked as she opened her agenda to see if she had any important appointments for the day that she'd forgotten. She noted with satisfaction that she would be having a relatively easy day, and moved on to check her email.

She was nearly halfway through when she encountered an email that had her brows raised in surprise. She re-read it a few time, laughing softly to herself as she confirmed what she'd read the first time.

Her hand reached for the office phone, amusement still highlighting her features. She pressed a few buttons and waited idly as the line rang.

"_Swan,_" the voice grunted.

Regina's amusement deepened. "As always, your manners are impeccable dear."

Another grunt sounded over the line. "_Miss Mills, how may I be of service?_"

"You'll be happy to know a suitable field assignment has been found for you, I'll be forwarding the details to you shortly."

"_Really?_" The surprise and excitement in Emma's voice was tangible.

The brunette's lips twitched as she tried to abstain from smiling. "Yes, you've been specially requested by Abigail van Goud." When the line remained silent, she continued. "Formerly known as Abigail Nolan."

The silence lingered, and Regina couldn't withhold her smirk. "Since you seem to not have any further questions, I'll go ahead and forward you that information packet.

An indignant squawk came over the phone just before Regina hung up.

She crossed her legs and tucked some hair behind an ear before getting back to work, humming happily to herself as she forwarded the necessary information on to Emma.

* * *

><p>Emma's jaw worked for a few minutes after the abrupt end to the call, trying to work out in her head how the hell Mr. Nolan's wife knew about her, or even wanted to <em>hire<em> her for a case.

She sighed in resignation. Regina had been entirely too happy about assigning her the awkward assignment. She dutifully pulled open her work email to open the information packet for her case.

A frown grew on her face. The data provided was only bare bone stuff, and it wasn't until she scrolled to the end of the document that she understood why. The client had requested a face to face meeting to thoroughly go over her wishes.

From what Emma could garner, she'd be trying to track someone down, there just wasn't any information on the who or why provided. She felt extremely uncomfortable at the idea of having a meeting with the woman she'd legally stalked for a few days.

Part of her wanted to send a snippy email back to Regina, but there would be no point. It really wasn't Regina's fault, but she felt that her boss probably _could_ have negotiated a few aspects about the case if she'd really wanted to. Emma couldn't help but feel this was part of Regina's plan to make sure that she didn't forget how she'd lost her professionalism on her first case.

Regina was always coming up with little tests, but so far Emma couldn't really complain about them.

With a sigh, she added the appointment with Abigail Van Goud to her schedule for Friday as indicated in the email. She perused the small amount of information she had been given and started to make notes about routes she might need to take depending on how hard this person may be to find.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take her long to come up with some basic ideas. There wasn't a lot she could do with what she was given. She shifted her mind back to some digging she'd been doing for Marco on a corporate case he and August had been handling for the last two weeks.

She ended up working through lunch, only bothering to pull some pop-tarts from her bag when her stomach grumbled at her in protest. The research was meticulous and annoying, but important from what the older man had told her. She wasn't aware of specifics, but she hoped the data she'd compiled would be of help.

She saved the charts she'd assembled, printing off a few hard copies to leave on Marco's desk as well. August preferred the digital files, but Marco was pretty old school. The thought made her smile. A quick email to August had the digital files where they should be, and she checked her office over before stepping out to head to Marco's currently unoccupied space.

The older IS's office was in the senior hallway for those that had been employed for years, but it still only took her a few minutes to drop in and leave the folder placed visibly in the middle of the desk. She checked the time on her phone and pocketed it, deciding she'd earned a proper break since she'd worked through lunch.

The break room was quiet, and she moved to the cupboards to check for any communal snacks. Nothing really appealed to her. She snorted when she noticed a basket of apples on the counter, certain Regina had brought them in.

Her lips pursed, and she shrugged and took one. She gave it a quick rinse and then sat at a table to enjoy the juicy fruit.

Astrid walked in a few moments later, coffee mug in hand. She gave Emma a bright smile. "Good to see you eating something healthy for a change!"

Emma smiled, but didn't speak. She was actually enjoying the sweet, ripe apple. She knew the core was a myth, but couldn't help but eat around the middle out of habit. Just as she was finishing up, her cell phone went off.

The administrative assistant watched in amusement as Emma rushed to rinse her sticky hands and dry them before answering her mobile device.

The blonde's brow furrowed when she saw 'Henry' on her screen. "Henry, why are you calling me so early?"

"_Ma, it's Mrs. Hubbard! I came in to check with her like usual, but she wasn't answering the door so I used my key...she's on the floor. She's breathing but it's weird and she's not moving, what do I do?_" Henry knew that he was supposed to call 911, but he'd been so shocked to find his neighbor on the ground all he wanted to do was talk to his mom.

Emma's mouth dropped open. "Henry, you need to call 911, now!"

Astrid straightened at the coffee machine, eyes wide and hand coming to her mouth in surprise.

"_I don't want to hang up! Mom, I'm scared._" Emma could hear her son breathing heavily, and knew he was probably having some kind of panic attack.

"Okay Henry, you don't have to hang up. I know Mrs. Hubbard still has a land line. Use that to call 911. I'll be here the whole time." She kept her voice as even as she could, though she was scared for both her son and neighbor. She could hear the sounds of Henry moving around, and a few moments later she could hear him speaking over the other line. Her feet carried her around the break room in an anxious circle as she waited.

The administrative assistant slipped out when it was clear that Emma was intently focused on the emergency at hand. Sometimes she forgot how young her son really was; the boy was surprisingly mature for his age. She'd often wondered where he got that from considering that she wasn't a poster mom or anything.

"_Ma, you there?_" the scared voice rang loudly over the line.

"Yes, I'm right here Henry, what did they say?" She bit her lip, now standing in place as she focused on every sound coming over the phone.

She was so intent on her son that she never noticed Astrid re-enter the break room, Regina trailing behind in confusion.

"_They said an ambulance can be here in fifteen minutes. The lady is still on the phone but I wanted to check with you._" Henry sounded a little more settled now that he'd heard her voice, though his voice still quivered.

"Henry, I need you to listen to me, okay? I'm going to leave work and come get you okay? But I need to hang up so I can get there to you quickly and safely, can you handle that for me kid?" She tried to sound as confident as possible, knowing that Henry would respond better if he felt like someone was in control.

A sharp breath came out over the line. "_Okay._" Henry clutched his phone tighter. "_Hurry up, okay mom?_"

"You got it," she waited til he ended the call a moment later, staring at her phone for a few heartbeats before shoving it in her pocket. A hand combed through her hair as she tried to settle her mind enough to figure out what she needed to do.

A hand settled on her arm, and she looked up in surprise to see Regina giving her a determined look. "You need to go grab your bag with your things and wallet, and don't worry about the rest of the day. Go to your son - just let me know if you think you'll need some days off."

Viridian eyes blinked twice, the confusion clearing at her boss's words. She nodded, "Thanks Regina." She spared the brunette a grateful smile before darting to her office and then out and down to her car.

Regina's lips pursed in the sudden quiet of the break room, and she turned to give Astrid an approving look. "You did the right thing by getting me. Come now, let's try to salvage the rest of the work day. I'll let you know if Miss Swan contacts me with any pertinent information."

Neither of the remaining women was sure what exactly had happened, although it was clear that someone had gotten hurt.

Astrid gave her a tentative look before returning back to her desk. Regina lingered in the room a moment longer as she took a deep breath in hopes of regaining her equilibrium.

Her stomach remained knotted for the remainder of the work day.

* * *

><p>Emma squeezed Henry tightly to her side, watching silently as the doctor left. She looked down at her son, noting his red-rimmed eyes.<p>

"She'll live, Henry." She wanted to sound confident for her son, but the news hadn't been good.

Henry's head shook against her chest. "Yeah, but she's not gonna be okay."

She inhaled a sharp breath at that. "But she'll be alive, and I'm sure her children and grandchildren will be grateful for that. I just don't think she'll be able to live on her own any more." The last statement was relayed sadly. Mrs. Hubbard was like family, and Henry treated the woman much as he would his own grandmother, if he had one.

Emma had called up Mrs. Hubbard's nearest living daughter, Emily. The woman was terrified for her mother, and had immediately taken off from work to make the three hour trip to see her. The doctor had been allowed to talk to her a little about Mrs. Hubbard's condition, and she'd been relaying what information she could to Emily as it was revealed.

Hemiparesis, the doctor had said. Mrs. Hubbard had suffered from a stroke, and was lucky that the left side of her body wasn't completely paralyzed.

She moved Henry to a nearby chair and sat next to him. They were quiet as they waited. She'd wanted to take Henry home, but she'd also been worried for her neighbor. Henry had put his foot down, saying they should at least wait for Emily so Mrs. Hubbard would have someone there for her. Emma had readily agreed.

Her arm settled around the back of Henry's chair, and she smiled when he leaned back to rest his head on it. Henry was growing, and his need for physical affection from her was waning, so she treasured the little moments.

The feel of her phone vibrating in her pocket startled her, and she tugged it out quickly, thinking it was Emily.

Her brows rose when she saw a text from Regina.

_'Just wanted to make sure everything is alright.'_

She bit her lip at the text, and nodded to herself. Regina _had_ been present to overhear part of the phone conversation, and it was only human to show concern. As she thought over her end of the call, she was certain her boss wasn't even clear on what could have happened. She started a long text.

_'Yeah, thanks for asking. Henry went to check in with the neighbor who watches him and it turns out she had a stroke. She'll be okay, and Henry is fine, just a little shaken up. I should be in to work tomorrow.'_

Her thumb hesitated over the 'send' button. Was she being too detailed? She snorted at herself and pressed the button. Obviously, Regina wanted to know or she wouldn't have texted in the first place. She tucked her phone back in her pocket.

Emma's mind began to wander as she sat with Henry. She wouldn't dwell on the emotional side of events right now, and never in front of Henry. He needed some strength and support right now from her, and being upset over poor Mrs. Hubbard wouldn't help. Instead, she thought of practical things.

Henry was technically almost old enough to leave by himself, but after today she couldn't help but be reminded by how much of a child he really was. Did she really want him sitting all alone at the apartment without even Mrs. Hubbard? The answer was an unequivocal no.

Logistically, she just wasn't sure what she could do. She didn't trust just anyone around her son. She'd seen enough bad or just plain oblivious caretakers during her time in the system to last a lifetime. Maybe she should tell Regina she'd like to take a few days off after all, but then what after those first few days?

Maybe she could just cut out of work early to be home with her son? That didn't seem feasible either. She would need to be able to travel and pull normal hours, otherwise she really wouldn't be able to perform her duties properly.

She brightened as she considered asking Ruby to help with Henry until she could figure out something more permanent. At worst, she could pick Henry up and have him hang out with Genie at the office until Emma got off of work.

Her attention turned back to Henry, and she asked him about his day, hoping to distract him from silently worrying. Conversation started slow, but soon her son got interested in what he was talking about. They shared light anecdotes back and forth for a while, and when a woman a decade older than her arrived who bore a striking resemblance to Mrs. Hubbard, Emma knew they could go home soon.

She conferred quietly with Emily for a few moments before the woman thanked both her and Henry for being there. As they made to leave, Emma was glad too. If they didn't have an arrangement with Mrs. Hubbard, who knew how long the woman would have been on that floor before someone found her.

Dinner was a simple affair, and she let Henry focus on his homework while she started to decompress from work.

She went about putting her things away and it wasn't until nearly nine that she looked at her phone again, and was surprised that she'd missed a call from Regina. She bit her lip and considered if she should call or not.

The line only rang twice before it was answered.

"_Emma?_" Came immediately, and Regina sounded concerned.

"Hey, I just saw that I missed a call from you so I wanted to see what was up."

There was a sudden quiet before Regina spoke again. "_Sorry, I must have accidentally dialed._"

Emma couldn't explain the sudden sense of disappointment she felt. "Oh, I guess I'll just let you go then."

"_Well, hold on. We're talking now. How are you and Henry doing?_"

A smile tugged at the corner of Emma's lips, and she blew out a breath. It was nice to have someone concerned about her and her son. "Henry is still a little shaken, but he's doing better. He just finished his homework."

Regina licked at her lips nervously and adjusted her position on her bed. "_And you?_"

"I don't know, I feel a little weird." She eyed her son studiously working on his homework and silently moved to her bedroom to lay down on the bed. "Mrs. Hubbard has kind of been like family to us, and I don't know what I would have done without her for the last few years. She's always watched Henry. I don't think she'll be able to live here alone any more, and I know both Henry and I will be sad to see her go."

"_Who's going to watch Henry after school now that Mrs. Hubbard is unable to?_" Regina bit at her lip, unsure if she was overstepping her boundaries. She had a certain fondness for Emma, but she'd always had a soft spot for children. Her hand absentmindedly settled over her abdomen with the last thought, but she jerked her hand away when she realized what she'd done.

Emma blew out a breath through lips. "I was just going to ask a friend from my last job to pick him up and keep an eye on him at the old office for now until I can figure something else out."

"_You said Henry is nearly twelve, right? And he's well behaved?"_ An olive toned hand played nervously with the hem of her satin pajama top.

"Yeah, why?" Emma's brows furrowed, a little uncertain why Regina was asking. She could hear the sound of the other woman's throat gently clearing.

"_Perhaps you could just bring him to the office. We have plenty of space, and there's a fair amount he can do to keep himself amused at the office._" What Regina said was true. If Henry had been much younger, she wouldn't suggest such a thing. However, there was plenty a boy his age could do at the MBI offices.

Emma sat quietly, stunned at Regina's generous offer. "I would probably have to be the one picking him up – would that be okay too?" She could question the suggestion, but she didn't really want to if it meant Henry would be safe, and probably happier at her new office rather than her old one. That she might get to interact with him a little more was a huge bonus.

"_As long as you're not interrupting any field duties, it would be acceptable. I'm sure transportation can be arranged for the days when you can't afford to stop what you're doing?_"

"Of course!" she spoke a little louder than she'd intended, excitement brimming in her tone at the prospect now.

Henry poked his head through her open doorway, curious at what his mom was doing.

"Just a sec," she murmured into the phone and pulled it away from her face to address her son.

"Hey, Hen. How do you feel about me picking you up from school and hanging around MBI until I'm off?" Her eyes lit up when she saw him bounce in excitement.

"Really?" green eyes so much like her own widened. "Can I help you investigate stuff?"

She laughed. "No, but I'm sure you'll find other stuff to do. There's a nice break room and a pretty cool TV set up in the waiting room."

Regina listened quietly on her end of the call, a bubble of laughter forming in her chest when she could clearly hear the boy's excitement at the prospect of being at work with his mom. Her mind shifted through a series of thoughts, and she decided she would dig out one of the older working laptops for Henry to use to assist with his homework while at the office. Her attention was pulled back to the call when Emma addressed her again.

"He loved the idea. Thanks Regina," she smiled warmly into the phone as she relayed her genuine gratitude.

The grin on Regina's face was unseen, but clearly audible when she spoke. "_No problem, Emma. I'm sure he'll behave far better than you do at the office._"

"Hey!" The blonde responded playfully, not really offended in the least. "Actually, no. You're right. The kid has far better manners than me."

She eyed the time on her nightstand, and knew she had to get Henry in the shower and take care of a few things for work before bed. "It's getting late, and I still have a few things today. Thanks again Regina, and I'll see you tomorrow morning." Her voice was full of warmth.

"_See you tomorrow_," came the soft murmur.

* * *

><p>Regina was startled the next morning when warm arms wrapped around her while she was locking her car up. She stiffened, but relaxed a moment later when she recognized Emma's scent and saw the blonde's face clearly reflected in her driver's side window.<p>

"You could give me some kind of warning, dear," her words sounded wary, but her tone was full of affection.

"Mm," Emma nudged her nose into the nape of Regina's neck and inhaled. "I like to keep you on your toes."

A smile slowly grew on Regina's face, but she let it dim as she turned to face Emma, one brow raised. "Is that so?"

Emma gave her an unrepentant grin. "That is so."

The smile played at the corners of Regina's mouth again. "You're in a particularly good mood this morning."

Viridian eyes zeroed in on the full lips before them. "Well, yesterday could have been a lot worse. Things turned out pretty good, all things considered." She licked her lips as she witnessed white teeth nibble lightly at a bottom cherry-red lip. Her head dipped closer to Regina, a gamut of pleased emotions flitting on her face.

"Emma," Regina murmured in warning, though her tone came out weaker than she liked.

"That's me," the blonde muttered and leaned in to press an open mouthed kiss to the lips that she seemed to always be craving these days.

A soft moan sounded, though neither woman noticed as they fitted their bodies together tightly. The kiss seemed to last a small eternity; shifting from soft and slow to hungry and fierce and back again as they leaned into Regina's BMW.

They parted after a few minutes, breathing heavy and eyes dark with arousal.

Regina pursed her lips and fumbled with her key fob. The doors to her car unlocked audibly. "We can be late one day, but don't get used to it Miss Swan."

Emma grinned and gallantly opened the back door. "I wouldn't dream of it _Miss Mills_."

* * *

><p>The office phone rang lowly, and Regina moved a hand over to answer it absentmindedly.<p>

"Regina Mills," she uttered while she flicked through another set of files on her desk.

"_Miss Mills, I just wanted to let you know that Emma and her son have just arrived._" Astrid sounded as cheerful as always, and Regina smiled.

"Excellent, thank you for letting me know dear."

The administrative assistant demurred politely and hung up. Regina eyed the documents a moment longer, adding another note to the margin before sliding the folder closed and standing from her chair.

She straightened her blazer and smoothed a hand over her skirt. She had asked Emma earlier if it would be alright to meet Henry, and the blonde had responded enthusiastically to the idea. Regina couldn't quite explain why she was nervous, but wouldn't deny that she was feeling it.

A deep breath was pulled in through her nose, then released softly from her mouth. It calmed her a little, and she ran one hand along her hair before smoothly stepping out of her office and toward the waiting area.

A pleased expression grew on her face when she noticed Emma patiently waiting in the lobby with a dark haired young man. Her smile was genuine when two sets of verdant eyes focused on her.

She stepped forward confidently, one hand extended. "Hello, I'm Regina Mills."

Henry's chest puffed up at the adult greeting, and he grinned and extended his own hand. "Nice to meet you Miss Mills, I'm Henry Swan."

Their hands clasped firmly, and a flash of tenderness traveled through Regina at the well-mannered greeting. "Well Mr. Swan, I have to say that your mother was right; your manners are far superior to hers. Perhaps you'd like to call me Regina?"

Emma scowled playfully, "How come I'm not allowed to call you Regina around the office?"

Henry gave her a haughty look. "Well, _obviously_ Ma, you haven't earned that right."

Regina gave him a pleased look. "Such a smart young man, too." Her eyes flicked to Emma, and they shared an amused look.

The boy cleared his throat and gave Regina an earnest look. "If I can call you Regina, then you can call me Henry."

"Most excellent, Henry. Shall we have a small tour of the office to get you acquainted with the place?" her eyes lingered on his face as she waited for a response.

Henry quirked a half smile. "Sounds good."

Regina turned on her heel and waited patiently for him to fall in to step beside her. Emma watched them start to walk away with a fond look, something warm gathering in her chest at the easy rapport the duo displayed. She blinked and realized they were halfway to the break room.

"Hey, wait for me!" she called plaintively.

Henry smirked at her over his shoulder, green eyes sparkling. Regina laughed softly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Hasn't been properly proofed as of yet, my apologies for any glaring mistakes.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: Do I still need to keep putting in the work warning? I think everyone gets it by now. Apologies for errors, been swamped with work and various projects.

* * *

><p>Regina sighed as she hung up from the call she'd been stuck on for nearly an hour. Normally, she wasn't the one who handled disgruntled customers because she generally lacked the patience to deal with idiots and fools.<p>

Her plate was full this day though since Daniel had called in sick. She doubted he was truly sick because he'd opted to call and notify Astrid at the front desk instead of personally notifying Regina like he normally would. When he was truly sick, Regina's voicemail would be full of piteous messages begging Regina to bring him homemade soup.

She couldn't help but wonder if her best friend was drunk or hung over. Things hadn't been quite right between them since she'd stopped sleeping with him. It was odd to her. Daniel never really seemed to care who he slept with when he got into one of his lonely moods. There had been periods in the last few years when she'd rebuffed him for varied reasons, but her recent series of 'no's seemed to have hit him in an odd way.

A sigh escaped her as she considered the splintered relationship. At the very least, she needed to buckle down and get him back in to rehab. His bouts of drunkenness had gotten worse and worse, and she'd really thought times like this were behind them.

She was tired, but she couldn't abandon Daniel, especially not after so many years. Not after they'd been through so much together. She really wished that he could just be stronger than the disease he struggled with. Things had been good for a while, and she wasn't really sure what had triggered his latest dive off the wagon.

Daniel's battle with alcoholism was something she'd struggled with over the years with him just as much as he did with himself. It was an immense burden, one she'd borne with nary a blink. In some odd way, she thought she deserved it. Now, things were slowly changing. Her mentality was shifting.

She wouldn't abandon him, but she was just so incredibly tired of having to be the one to straighten him up again and again. It hadn't helped that she'd loved him for so long – it had tangled and twisted everything between them in to an odd co-dependent relationship she was just realizing was so much more incredibly unhealthy than she'd considered.

All it had taken was a taste of Emma Swan, a taste of something _truly_ different than she'd experienced in years.

Regina wouldn't delude herself into thinking that what she had with the blonde woman could or would be true love, but she did accept that Emma was a breath of fresh air in her life that had long been stagnant and stale.

She forcefully pulled her mind back to work as she considered the recent conversation with Albert Spencer. Regina loathed the man and couldn't stand to listen to him more than a few minutes on a good day.

The man had ranted and raved about the costs the firm had charged him for three weeks of service. Regina had patiently and carefully reviewed each of the itemized invoices with him over the phone, and she'd felt like strangling him with the chord to her phone within a few minutes of his pointless rambling.

She'd remained calm, though it was difficult. Daniel had been handling the man off and on for years, so she refused to lose her cool with just one hour of being subjected to the smarmy neanderthal.

A smirk tugged at her features as she recalled how frustrated the man had been by the end of the call. She'd refused to renegotiate any of the charges incurred; she didn't really care if they lost his business as they didn't really _need_ it.

Her eyes wandered to the clock and she decided to let it go. As it was she'd spent far enough time on Albert Spencer over the phone. She pulled up his digital file and typed in some notes in regards to what his call had been about, what they'd discussed, and the resolutions they'd come to by the end of the call.

She glanced over what she'd typed and nodded to herself, adding her initials to the addition. She observed the time a second time and bit her lip. A break was in order if she was to keep her sanity.

Her chair silently rolled back as she stood from her seat. She considered pulling her blazer back on over her crimson sheathe, but decided against it. As she strode over to her door, her left hand slid through her hair tiredly. One of the apples she'd recently brought in sounded like a good option.

The heels of her shoes clicked quietly as she strode down the hallway, and she spared a smile for Astrid as she passed her on the way to the break room. She noted that Henry wasn't in the waiting area and the TV was off and idly wondered where the boy could be.

Meeting Henry the previous day had been an exceptionally pleasant experience, and she was happy to have gotten to know the young man a little. It had been truly startling to her how well raised he seemed to be. She had to give Emma a different sort of respect; raising a child alone and from the difficult beginnings Emma had hailed from was no easy feat.

Regina visibly brightened when she stepped into the break room to find Henry seated behind the laptop she'd provided him yesterday, merrily crunching at an apple and carefully wiping away stray juices with a napkin before he made contact with the touchpad.

Henry looked completely focused on the screen before him, so she opted not to disturb him. Instead she strode to the counter and the basket of apples to carefully pick one out. She could have a cup of coffee, but felt she'd already consumed more than was appropriate for a single day if she didn't want to get an ulcer.

She hummed quietly as she picked out a delectable looking red fruit and rinsed it. She wiped at it carefully with a napkin, before turning to lean against the counter to quietly munch. Sitting through the entire call had left her in no hurry to resume a seat. She smiled as she considered the appalled look on her mother's face if she could see her eating standing up so casually.

After a few moments she noticed that Henry had started to send surreptitious glances her way, and she carefully swallowed the bite she'd been working on. "Am I disturbing you, Henry?"

Henry's dark head ducked down behind the screen of the laptop before cautious viridian eyes peeked out to look at her. "No, Regina." He hesitated before plowing on. "I was actually wondering if you might be able to help me, but I didn't want to disturb _you_."

There was a sheepish smile on his face as he regarded the elegant woman that had left him in awe the previous day.

Regina's brows raised, and she tugged down a plate to temporarily discard her apple to before rinsing her hands and taking the seat next to Henry's.

"It's been some time since I was in any sort of school, but I'll do my best. What is it you need assistance with, dear?" She perched carefully in her seat so she could have a clear view of the laptop screen.

Henry spared a dark scowl at the page he had been reviewing. "Math. We learned some new algebraic functions today, but they're just so confusing! It kind of made sense in class when the teacher showed us how to plug things in, but when I look at it now it's kind of like I'm just reading a foreign language that I haven't had a single lesson for."

"Ah," Regina murmured noncommittally. She warmed internally; she was very good at math and had always received high marks in the subject. A feeling of relief passed through her at the thought that she actually _could_ help Henry. "Well you're in luck, math happens to be my best subject. I'm familiar with these functions."

The dark haired boy shared a large grin with her at the revelation. "Really? Awesome. Mom is horrible at anything beyond the basics." When Regina raised a brow, he continued hurriedly. "But she's really good at lots of other stuff, it just isn't her thing, you know?"

Regina couldn't hide her delight at Henry's quick defense of his mother. A small ache developed in her chest as she considered the obvious bond between mother and son – it was a truly lovely thing to observe. "I'm well aware that your mother has her own set of talents, Henry. Now, let's have a look at the parts of your assignment you're struggling with, shall we?"

When Emma wandered into the break room some time later to check on Henry, she was completely stunned to find him and Regina seated closely, chattering away as if they were good friends.

"You guys having fun?" She quirked a brow at the surprised looks on both faces.

Earthen brown eyes immediately flicked to the delicate watch on her wrist and widened. "Well, apparently so."

Henry gave her a concerned look when he noticed where her gaze had landed. She read the look and reached out a hand to squeeze his shoulder gently. "I was just helping Henry with math, and we lost track of the time."

Emma grinned at the pair, liking the fact that they got along for reasons she couldn't quite fathom. "Good thing, I'm miserable at math so the kid would have probably been stuck going to a morning tutoring session before class tomorrow."

"It's okay Ma, Regina is really good at it. She's really patient too, which is good considering that _you_ work for her." He gave his mom a huge grin and his eyes twinkled with mischief.

The blonde snorted and settled her hands on her hips. "Hardy har har kid, remember that I know where you sleep at night before you start insulting me."

Henry made a face at her, and she made a face right back out of reflex, only remembering Regina was there when the woman snickered at her rather immature response.

"As delightful as this exchange has been, I really do need to get back to work. There are many things I need to get finished since I'm pulling a double workload and there's only one more work day before the weekend arrives." Regina stood and smoothed her hands down the fabric of her dress skirt, catching Emma watching the movement as she turned to the doorway.

A single sable brow arched in response, and she gave Emma a decidedly wicked look before stepping out of the break room.

Emma shook her head to try and rid herself of all the naughty thoughts that single look had inspired, and turned to find her son smirking at her.

"You like her? She's really pretty and smart." Green eyes much like her own were studying her intently, and she tried to fight the blush that threatened to flush her cheeks.

She stepped forward and rubbed at his head roughly, ignoring his protests as she messed up his hair. "Just do your homework, kid."

* * *

><p>Emma was nervous as she stood in front of the large brownstone where she was scheduled to meet Abigail van Goud. The paper detailing the address and time of meeting was clenched in one hand as she swallowed hard.<p>

She still wasn't sure that this wasn't some kind of warped revenge, although she did wonder why Leroy hadn't been requested since he'd been the lead on the case. Maybe Miss van Goud thought that, as a woman, Emma had been a worse violator of the woman's privacy.

The blonde woman couldn't' be sure, but she did know that all the wondering was going to surely drive her mad. She eyed the time listed on the paper and checked the time on her phone again. She was still technically too early, but she couldn't bear to stay outside wondering any longer.

She opened the gilded door, and was struck by how similar this office building seemed to resemble the offices used by David Nolan. They both had a classy, antique feel to them, and as she made her way to the front desk for direction to exactly where she wanted to be she couldn't help but notice they were even on the same numbered floor.

Altogether, she found the odd sense of déjà vu kind of eerie. An alleviated breath escaped her when she realized that, unlike her ex-husband, Abigail van Goud favored a more modern waiting room. The setting was comfortable and pleasant, and Emma was happy to see a professional looking young woman seated behind a sleek dark mahogany desk.

The auburn haired young woman gave Emma a polished smile and rose from her desk. "I'm sorry, Miss van Goud isn't expecting anyone for at least another fifteen minutes, may I be of service?"

The baby blue eyes that regarded Emma were pleasant but cautious, and the blonde had to applaud the balance of politeness and proficiency. She gave the woman a smile tinged with sheepishness; "I know I'm a bit early, but I'm Emma Swan and I think I'm your employer's next appointment."

Emma's eyes flicked over to the desk to check the name plate as she waited to be addressed again.

"Ah, of course Miss Swan. I'm sure Miss van Goud will appreciate your ability to remain punctual. If you'll have a seat I'll just let her know that you've arrived." There was a hint of steel laced in the words, and Emma had to give the administrative assistant kudos.

She couldn't help but wonder if the woman was aware of Emma's previous role in Abigail van Goud's life. Based on the icy demeanor, she had to assume that Annabelle Frances knew exactly who she was.

"Of course Miss Frances, I'll be just over there when she's ready." She gave the auburn haired woman a stiff smile before taking a seat in one of the chairs that gave her a view of all the doors in the room and also kept her back to the wall. It was just a habit she'd gained from her short stint as a bounty hunter in her younger years that had stuck. It had proved a useful habit when she was tailing various people for some of her clients over the years.

She heard the quiet murmuring of conversation as the administrative assistant contacted her boss over the phone to surely inform her of Emma's arrival.

The clicking of the phone back in to place was muted in the quiet of the office space, and Emma was surprisingly patient as she waited. Part of it might have been because she was a little afraid of Abigail van Goud even though the woman had seemed perfectly pleasant in the days Emma had spent following her.

The door to the main office opening a few minutes later drew her attention, and her pulse accelerated as she took in the sleekly dressed blonde woman. Miss van Goud was dressed in an impeccable woman's steel gray business suit, with her straight blonde hair pulled back into an refined chignon. Artfully styled bangs framed her finely appointed features, the high cheek bones giving the woman an almost dainty appearance.

Emma stood immediately out of respect, and she noted the almost imperceptible nod the sleek businesswoman gave her at the movement. "If you're prepared Miss Swan, I'm more than ready for you."

The Information Specialist was startled to note that the sleekly dressed woman was taller by a few inches even in her heeled boots. Her eyes flicked down to note the sharp heels with a smile. Based on appearance alone, she would swear this woman and Regina could be colleagues – if not friends.

She was summarily led into an office done in a similar motif as the rest of the office space; modern without being overly so in it's tame comfort of mostly warm colors.

Abigail gestured to one of the seats in front of the desk, where Emma sat quietly as she waited for her temporary employer to take her seat. The keen azure eyes observed her for a moment before the businesswoman spoke.

"Emma Swan, it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, though I'm certain you're more familiar with me than I am with you." Abigail watched her intently as she waited for a reaction.

"I couldn't say Miss van Goud," Emma demurred. "As you are aware of the company I work for, I'm sure you also know that I'm not at liberty to discuss any work I may or may not have potentially engaged in whether it involves you, this office, or even that sharp assistant sitting out front."

The taller blonde's head tilted, and a smile played at her lips. "What a professional answer! That's a far cry from what David admitted to me about you when he finally told me that he'd been having an affair with his secretary." Her eyes glinted. "A fact I was hardly unaware of, mind you. What I was unaware of was how very frightened he was to ask for a divorce and that he would stoop so low as to employ MBI to investigate me. He was so ashamed he was more than happy to admit you verbally 'kicked his ass' when he thought of stooping to even further lows."

When Emma didn't visibly or verbally respond, her smile widened. "David isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. He certainly should have known better than to employ MBI since I've been friends with Regina and Daniel since college."

That revelation did make Emma raise her brows, and Abigail didn't miss the reaction.

"Oh, you didn't know? Regina and I were even best friends for a time in college." Her face clouded. "Before circumstances made things difficult for both her and Daniel, at any rate."

Emma was intrigued by the connection to Regina, and couldn't help but wonder at what the other blonde woman was referring to. She wanted to know more, but wasn't sure how to appropriately ask around the subject. "Are you saying Regina violated confidentiality?" Her brow rose in challenge.

"Not at all," Abigail scoffed. "But when she complained about an employee going off on a client, it hardly took a rocket scientist to put two and two together. I knew you were probably on her shit list for what you said to David, but I was grateful you set him straight with a dose of truth. So when things were finalized with David, I thought it apt that I specifically request you to help with my current issue."

A wave of astonishment swept through Emma; Abigail van Goud really was a nice woman. "No offense to you or your ex, but I'm glad you guys split. You deserve better."

The well-dressed woman nodded in agreement, delight flitting over her face. "I couldn't agree more. This actually brings me to the reason I wanted to hire MBI, and more specifically, you."

Emma waited patiently as the woman's eyes traveled over her desk in absent thought. She pulled her head up to meet Emma's eyes after a moment. "When I was in college, I was madly in love with a young man. Circumstances didn't quite work out for us – he ended up having to transfer back home before graduation to help take care of the aunt that raised him. I wanted to stay with him, but in the end he said he didn't feel right keeping me from living my life."

The soft blue eyes glistened with tears, and Emma couldn't help but swallow at the emotion showing in the formerly stoic woman's face.

"I just want a chance to talk to him again. I don't need you to follow him or anything...just...find him. I can't help but feel that he was the one. I only married David some years later because our families kept pushing us together. Do you think you can help me find him?" Abigail eyed her critically.

Emma cleared her throat softly. "Well you haven't really told me any personal details about him, but your story certainly inspires me to want to help you to the very best of my ability Miss van Goud."

"Excellent. I wanted to know that you held a genuine interest in helping me – it's apparent to me that you get very passionate about your work, and I want that passion on my side in regards to something that is very important to me." The smile she shared with Emma was small, but very heartfelt.

Even though Emma hadn't known this woman long at all, and still felt a little odd for having followed her on a job before, she very much wanted to help her. "If you could give me any more detailed information you remember about him, that would be very helpful."

"Of course. I typed up a number of things I remember about him, including where we attended college, his major, and his full name." As she spoke, Abigail picked up a thin manila folder which she stretched out to hand to the seated Information Specialist.

Emma gladly accepted the folder, opening it as soon as she had it in front of her and skimming the provided information. There wasn't a terrible amount of data, but Emma had worked with less and been successful. She nodded as she reviewed the file. "I'm fairly confident I can help you Miss van Goud."

The sharply dressed woman rose with a smile. "Please, call me Abigail."

* * *

><p>Regina sighed as she stepped back into the MBI offices. She'd had a brunch meeting she couldn't get out of since Daniel still hadn't shown up to work, and it was with some annoyance that she'd spotted his car in his usual spot when she'd finally managed to return to work.<p>

A vein throbbed in her head as she considered the talk she needed to make time to have with him. She managed a smile for Astrid, and she made for the break room instead of her office.

A cup of coffee was definitely required after the hour she'd spent wishing she'd worn another dress to work when the group of older men had spent most of the time lecherously gaping at her cleavage rather than treating her like a living being there to discuss business.

She was pissed off, and Daniel was sure to get a piece of her mind. She adjusted the clingy fabric of her black dress as she waited for the coffee to percolate and dispense into her favorite mug. It wasn't even quite noon and she was already undeniably weary.

Regina smiled when she thought of Henry arriving that afternoon. If her mood hadn't corrected by the time the young man had settled in to the break room, she was certain a few moments in his company would temporarily resolve her of all the ill will the day had inspired.

Henry was a bright, congenial young man whose vibrant youth appealed to her jaded spirit.

"Gina!" came the cheerful voice from behind, and the pleasant mood that had been soaking through her foul mood was immediately dispersed. She turned with a scowl.

"Daniel," she hissed. "Where the hell were you this morning? I had to go to the brunch meeting with the group from Vit Financial, and I am seriously pissed at you for leaving me with them."

Daniel's formerly playful blue eyes widened and a hint of shame tinged his face. "That was today? I'm so sorry Gina, I know Mr. White is a serious scumbag when it comes to women. Calling out yesterday threw off my mental schedule."

When Regina remained glaring at him he stepped closer, a authentically contrite look on his face. "I really am sorry, Regina."

Regina scowled at him a moment longer before her shoulders relaxed. "Alright. It better not happen again, or we're going to have a serious discussion about this business. I mean it, Daniel. Things have been getting out of control with you again, and it's not okay."

The tall man gave her a doleful look, but nodded. "I understand Gina. I know it's not fair to you, but I've been kind of jumbled up lately. I miss you, you know? You seem more distant than I ever remember us being, and you're my best friend."

Guilt darkened Regina's heart for just a moment, but she pushed it away. She was tired of feeling guilty. Daniel was an adult, and she'd tried and tried for years to help him. Instead of keeping his head above water, she couldn't help but feel like she'd slowly been drowning.

"We'll always be best friends Daniel," she said softly, "But you're a grown man, and you can't always expect me to help you with all your problems. You can always see a professional. If you genuinely care about me the way you claim, you can't keep pushing this burden on me. I'm tired."

Daniel stepped close to her to pull her in to a hug. The utter exhaustion on her face hit him in a place that was only reserved for the love he had for her. "Alright, Regina. You're right."

Regina relaxed into the embrace, happy that Daniel seemed more like the man she'd loved for years as her best friend and less like the stranger he'd recently been impersonating. Her head rested in the crook of his neck and shoulder, and she inhaled deeply. She frowned when she smelled the traces of some kind of alcohol...probably the whiskey Daniel generally preferred.

She pulled back to question him about the scent, when he decided to lean down and pull her into a kiss. Her hands came up to his chest and she clenched at his shirt as the taste of whiskey hit her tongue, and she allowed the kiss for just a moment in her shock of having her fears confirmed.

Her hands pushed him away and she gave him a furious look. "Daniel, what have I told you ab—"

"About keeping it out of the office?" A strangely even voice chirped up from the break room doorway.

Regina stepped back from Daniel further as shock sent her pulse racing. "Emma," she said far too breathily.

"Oops," Daniel said with a grin and a shrug. He sent Regina a wink, ignoring her return glare, and casually walked from the room.

The brunette woman was unsure of what she wanted to do more – explain to Emma that what she'd seen was a misunderstanding, or chase after Daniel to strangle him and bury his body.

A look at Emma's stormy face made the decision for her, and she cleared her throat and straightened her posture. "Miss Swan, would you mind accompanying me to my office for a moment so we may speak in private?"

Emotions warred over Emma's face before it went blank, and she gave Regina a calm nod.

Regina felt nervous, but dutifully led the way to her office, even has her hands twitched. There was no reason for her to feel anxious when it came to Emma. They didn't have an exclusive relationship and what the woman had witnessed _had_ simply been a misunderstanding. She hadn't kissed Daniel in weeks, let alone slept with him.

She mellowed as she held her door open for a still silent Emma, and Regina thought perhaps the situation wasn't as damaged as she'd thought. She carefully shut the door and turned to face Emma, only to find the blonde had walked around her desk and was seated in her desk chair.

An onyx brow rose as she took in Emma's position, legs casually thrown up to rest on the corner of her desk. Regina opted not to speak, instead circling around to the other side of her desk to sit at the corner opposite of where Emma sat, her legs just barely brushing the office chair.

She crossed her arms as she eyed Emma's laid-back position. "Miss Swan, is there some reason you've taken it upon yourself to sit in _my_ desk chair?"

Emma gave her an impassive look. "So, the thing about not sleeping with people from the office...that only applies to me?"

Regina inhaled sharply through her nose. "That wasn't what it looked like."

"No? Cause what it looked like was you kissing Daniel _in the office_ where you've made it very clear is an unacceptable place to do something – especially not with someone other than you." There was a dangerous glint in emerald eyes as Emma flicked her gaze lazily over the exposed skin of Regina's legs.

Olive hands clenched, anger welling in Regina's chest. "I've told Daniel repeatedly that such passes are unacceptable, especially in the office. As for your other insinuation; my relationship with Daniel predates any understanding I have with you."

Emma gritted her teeth and abruptly stood, invading Regina's personal space and maneuvering her arms on either side of the brunette. "You're not allowed to fuck Daniel any more Regina, and you sure as hell better not be sleeping with anyone else from MBI. They're your goddamn rules, so you better fucking _abide_ by them."

"Miss Swan, you're treading on _very_ dangerous ground. You do not get to deliver ultimatums to _me_ whatsoever." Regina's voice was laced with venomous fury.

The blonde woman decided a change in tactics was in order. She brought a leg forcefully between Regina's, spreading the woman's legs, the surprised look on her face pleasing Emma to no end. Her hands found their way to curvy hips and she stepped in close so their bodies were pressed tightly together. Regina's hands found their way to her shoulders, nails painfully digging in as a warning.

"Tell me Regina, if Daniel is so good, why do you let me fuck you so often, hm? Why are you always so wet and ready for me – I know you're not thinking of him when I'm inside you and you're crying out my name and begging _me_ to let you come." Her words were relayed in an angry whisper right into the shell of Regina's ear.

Regina trembled at the words, moisture pooling in her underwear. Emma was so completely wrong about what she thought had and was happening, but the odd show of possessiveness was having a strong effect on Regina despite the ire Emma's presumptions had inspired. She wasn't sure what to say, and her tongue trailed out to nervously moisten her lips.

"Emma," she finally managed to breathe as a mixture of lust and anger churned in her veins.

Emma jerked back at hearing her name, her eyes a riotous sea of arousal and jealousy. "I'm going to thoroughly fuck you on your desk now, Regina. If you don't want that or me, say so now. If you want Daniel, say so right fucking now."

White teeth bit nervously at a full lower lip, and Regina shook her head as her breathing hitched. "I want you Emma."

The blonde growled at the words, pushing forward to spin their positions so that Regina's back was now to the desk.

Dark umber eyes were wide. "Emma, wha..?"

Her words trailed off as she was turned again, and was gently pushed down so she was bent over the edge of the desk. She swallowed hard at the position and the odd tenderness with which Emma's hands caressed her. Emma had been so furious only a moment before, the wild look in her eyes unsettling Regina.

Emma pressed her weight carefully into Regina's back, inhaling the scent of her hair deeply as her hands explored Regina's womanly curves tenderly. She'd calmed once Regina made her choice, though need still pulled her hips to grind into the delicious globes of the prostrate woman's ass.

"Regina," she breathed softly into a sensitive ear. "I've changed my mind. If you want me, you're not allowed to be with _anyone_ else. At all."

Her hands slowly caressed at soft skin, her hips still slowly rolling into Regina.

Regina panted against the surface of her desk as she considered Emma's words and their current position. She swallowed, knowing she only had a few moments to make a choice. Her hands were splayed on either side of the desk, and she clenched at the edge of it as she made her decision.

"Yes, Emma. Yes. I want you," she admitted with a guttural moan.

Emma smiled in triumph and brought a free hand up to tenderly push Regina's hair to the side to reveal the face she often found herself fascinated by. She brought their lips together in a hungry kiss, her hands traveling to the hem of Regina's dress.

Her nails scraped against the sensitive skin even as Regina sucked lustfully at her tongue, and she groaned when she realized the bent over woman was only wearing a tiny thong.

Regina panted and smiled into the kiss as Emma jerked her back into her vulva hard. Her head turned to face forward a moment later as Emma summarily thrust inside her, and Regina used her arms to steady herself as Emma began to buck wildly into her, using her hips as leverage to make her thrusts into Regina that much deeper and harder.

The moans that escaped her were wanton, and she couldn't help the desperate gasp that escaped her as Emma brought her free hand around to swiftly massage at the sides of her clit.

"Emma!" she cried out just a moment before she clenched around pale fingers and felt a hungry mouth sucking at the sensitive skin of her shoulder.

They rode the waves out together, both panting as their bodies slowed.

Emma was a little embarrassed as the molten fury of her jealousy settled, and she didn't resist when she was pushed back a little so Regina could turn and face her, an unreadable expression on her face.

She licked her pale pink lips nervously, wanting to run a hand through her hair, but realizing both were quite a mess from Regina's arousal. "Regina, I'm sorr—"

Her words were halted by the feral grin Regina gave her a moment before she was forcefully tugged forward and pulled into a heated kiss.

Regina pulled away a moment later, her breathing heavy. "You said you were going to fuck me thoroughly Emma, it hasn't been thorough at all _yet_." She leaned forward to bite sharply at Emma's trembling lips. "Now dear, if you're really sorry, you'll get on your knees and beg for forgiveness."

Emma groaned and dropped to her knees out of reflex, her eyes overwhelmed at the sight of Regina spreading her legs in invitation. Her hands shook as they reached forward to tug the ruined thong off and down, and she spared one last glance up at the hungry look on Regina's face before she dove into her appointed task with an enthusiastic moan.

Hours later, they stopped only when Regina glanced at the clock and realized Emma would have to leave to pick up Henry soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: Trying my best to wrap this up before I leave on vacation next week. There's only a few chapters left, and I'm going to _try_ to put them out fairly quickly.

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><p>Regina sighed as she woke from the blissful dream she'd been experiencing. She purred when she realized it hadn't been a dream, but more of reliving the memory of the previous day at the office and her afternoon of sex right at her desk with Emma Swan.<p>

Her back arched as she cuddled further into the blankets, a satisfied smile on her face. Her no sex at work rule had been gloriously broken, and though she really found she should regret it, she didn't. Emma had fulfilled some fantasies Regina was far too professional to ever try and initiate.

Luckily, Emma was unprofessional enough to entice her into the delectable activities she'd _thoroughly_ enjoyed. She hummed happily to herself when she remembered they'd decided to meet again the following day. It was a Sunday, and Emma had already confirmed with Eugenia that Henry could hang out with her for a good portion of the day. Grace would be visiting her grandmother, and Henry had immediately agreed once that fact had come to light.

Regina smiled as she considered the boy's first real crush. He'd asked Regina for advice the previous afternoon because she was a "classy" woman who was probably way better at romance than his mom.

The somewhat ironic nature of his statement had tickled Regina, but she'd done her best not to laugh. She was certain Henry would misconstrue her mirth. Instead, she'd asked him about Grace and given him a few simple tips.

She stretched her arms out to reach as far as she could on either side of the bed. Since it was a Saturday, she could essentially do whatever she wanted. She stared at the ceiling. The only problem with that is that she had no clue what she wanted to do.

She rolled over with a sigh, reaching out to her nightstand to retrieve her cellphone.

A grin stretched on her face when she saw a text from Emma. It was a simple good morning, and a simple 'hope you have a nice day', but Regina was delighted just the same.

She and Emma had exchanged a number of texts the night before, coalescing into a late night phone call where Emma had admitted that she'd really rather like to be dating Regina officially. That had sparked a somewhat heated debate, but in the end, Regina had agreed to a date.

She'd been hesitant to agree to such a thing, but when she considered the afternoon they'd spent at the office and how she'd freely admitted she didn't want anyone but Emma – well, it hardly seemed like a bad idea. She certainly didn't want Emma seeing anyone else, and though the woman had a tendency to annoy her with her disregard for rules, she realized she'd begun to more than like her even when they weren't engaging in their torrid trysts.

Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips nervously as she considered this, her heartbeat picking up at the thought of being in a _real_ relationship after so long. Suddenly, she knew exactly how she wanted to spend her Saturday.

She picked up her phone again to check the time and nodded to herself. Her fingers flicked through a few screens rapidly as she pulled up one of her contacts and hit the call button.

The line rang a few times before it was answered, and Regina immediately smiled at the familiar voice. "Abby! How's divorced life?"

"_Regina!_"came the playful response. "_So much better than married life. Soooo much._"

The brunette laughed in delight. "I was thinking since you're a free woman now, that maybe you'd like to join me for a day of pampering at the spa."

A girlish squeal sounded over the phone. "_You want to catch dinner together after, and maybe a movie? I haven't seen you in ages!_"

Regina hummed. "I never was a fan of David Nolan, dear." She bit her lip to keep from saying 'with good reason' and instead considered her long-time friend's words. "I think dinner and a movie sound great."

"_Spectacular!_ _Shall we take my car or yours?_"

Her head tilted as she thought about what she wanted. "Mm, I'll come pick you up. I'm bored out of my mind already, and if I have to wait for you who knows when you'll make it here. You could get distracted by a homeless puppy on the way or something."

Laughter rang out over the ear piece to her phone, and she found herself grinning.

"_Alright. See you in forty-five minutes?_" Abigail sounded both excited and hopeful.

"Indeed. Do try to be ready when I arrive, dear."

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><p>They'd been delectably pampered for hours at the spa, and were enjoying a lovely dinner at one of their old favorite restaurants when Regina's particularly wonderful day started a slow spiral downward.<p>

She and Abby were just sharing a laugh over an after dinner drink when she heard the sound of her phone vibrating to indicate a text. She and Emma had been texting off and on all day, and she'd been somewhat amused when the other woman had seemed vaguely jealous at the thought of Regina having a day out with a friend she wouldn't name.

Emma hadn't seemed truly bothered about who it could be – rather it seemed she was jealous that the lucky friend got to spend all day with Regina. She'd been warmed at the concept, and had again felt confident in her decision to date Emma.

Regina hesitated to check her phone, not wanting to be rude to Abby. She'd only surreptitiously texted Emma back while Abby had been occupied during their day.

Abigail's blue eyes glinted at her. "Just check it, Regina. I know you're dying to know what she said."

"I don't know what you mean," Regina gave her an innocent look.

A snort escaped the normally refined blonde woman, and she winked. "You're not fooling anyone. Just check it."

Regina couldn't suppress the smile on her face at her friend's insistence, and it reminded her why their friendship had lasted over the years even when they didn't see each other often. Abby was a friend in the truest sense of the word.

She bit her lip as she pulled her phone out of her clutch, the smile flickering back on her face when she confirmed it was from Emma.

She opened the message, and her smile slowly transformed into a frown. A light sense of despondency settled over her, and Abigail was quick to notice the shift in mood.

"What is it Regina?" Her brow was furrowed, and concern tinged her formerly cheerful voice.

A sigh escaped Regina before she could help it. "It seems that my date for tomorrow has been canceled."

The disappointment she felt was far more than she thought she would, and she again realized how much Emma had slowly come to mean to her.

"Why did she cancel?" Abby wanted to withhold judgment until she had all the facts.

Regina's mouth pinched in displeasure. "The woman that was going to watch Henry has to do something for work. It was rather unexpected, and I can tell Emma is as disappointed as I feel."

"Ah, that is unfortunate. Can she not just hire another sitter?" She gave Regina a curious look.

A small smile played at the brunette's lips. "She's actually incredibly careful about who she leaves her son with. She won't just leave him with anyone. I've noticed she's protective of those she cares about."

"That seems inconvenient, yet nice at the same time." She eyed her friend for a moment. "Well I know that it's horribly disappointing, but let's just try to enjoy the rest of the evening. When you're home you can get in your pajamas and mope all you want."

A chuckle rumbled in Regina's chest at her friend's attempt to salvage her mood. "That's a good idea. Let's finish here so we catch our movie on time."

Unfortunately for both women, the movie they'd selected turned out to be completely different from what they'd thought. When the protagonist made another questionable move against an inebriated woman for the third time during the course of the movie, they shared a look before walking out.

"Wow. The writing was bad, the acting was bad, and holy hell who thought it would be a good idea to make a movie about _that_?" Abigail was floored that the trailer had utterly lied about the film they'd chosen. What had seemed to be a charming romantic comedy had turned out to be a misogynistic ride meant to make the lead male seem as charming as a case of genital herpes.

"I'm as baffled as you are." Regina winced as she fought off the start of a headache. "Normally I would want to try and rescue our evening, but I'm afraid that actor's grating voice has triggered the beginning of a dreadful headache."

Abby made a pained face in sympathy. "If you like I can catch a cab from here so you can go straight home."

Regina managed a smile at her friend's consideration. "No, I can manage to get you home. I appreciate the thought though."

Despite her reassurances to Abigail, by the time she returned to her loft the small headache had grown to radiate sheer agony. Her eyes were slits as she tried to keep excess light from hitting them, and she stumbled into her kitchen to swallow some painkillers. She slowly made her way up the stairs to her bedroom, where she quickly changed into something more comfortable.

She washed her face as quickly as possible, and settled under the covers of her bed with a sigh. It was barely going to be nine, but she did not want to spend a moment longer conscious than she had to with the monster headache she was struggling with.

It was with a happy sigh that she finally drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, the loud, insistent ringing of her doorbell roused her from sleep with a hiss.

Bleary mocha eyes examined the time on her bedside clock, noting it was nearly two in the morning. She sighed, having a good idea about who it would be. She was thankful that at least the pain pill and the sleep had rid her of the awful headache, though it wouldn't surprise her if it returned by the time she was done dealing with her unwanted company.

A heavy sigh escaped her as she climbed out of bed and found her robe. She bit her lip, wishing she'd put on a pajama set with pants rather than the camisole and short set. The continued ringing of the bell had her cursing softly, and she tugged her robe closed and tied it off grumpily.

The robe covered her pajamas, but ended just shy of her knees and she sincerely hoped Daniel wouldn't be too distracted.

As she drew closer to the door she called out a warning, "I'm coming, you can stop ringing the doorbell already!" A glance to the monitor confirmed the probably inebriated man lingering at her front door.

The ringing doorbell thankfully ceased, and she saw Daniel lean back with a smirk as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

Another sigh escaped her as she carefully unbolted and unlocked her door.

"Daniel," her voice was two shades away from completely hostile. "What are you doing here so late?"

"I've missed you, Gina." He gave her puppy eyes, the slightly unfocused look telling her as much as the gentle scent of whiskey that accompanied the words.

"Did you drive here?" she asked in an exasperated voice.

Daniel shook his head animatedly. "No, Gina. I told you I learned my lesson. Can I please stay here tonight? I don't wanna be alone and I can't drive all the way home like this."

She gritted her teeth, but nodded and pulled the door open wider to let him in. She'd rather he spent the night than attempt to drive home or end up heaven knows where with someone he didn't know.

Her arms were wrapped protectively across her stomach as he passed, and she spared another look out into the hallway before shutting the door and bolting it again.

She turned and gasped in surprise. Rather than heading to her living room and the couch like she'd thought he would do, Daniel was waiting only a few steps away, watching her intently.

"Gina, what happened to us?" he murmured, the sadness in his voice pervasive.

"Daniel, it's way too late and you're far too drunk to have this discussion." She swept a tired hand through her hair as she avoided his gaze.

"I'm always drunk," he muttered sourly.

Her nostrils flared, and she gave him a bitter look. "Yes, I'm well aware of that."

He swayed a little in place as he looked at her. "I love you Gina."

"Yes, I know Daniel," she bit out venomously.

"Why don't you love me any more?" His voice quivered, and moisture pooled in his eyes.

"How can you ask me that? How can you say you love me when you do things like this? Why do you make me worry so much about you? Why can't you just go to rehab like I keep begging you to do?" She sharply hailed him with questions, even as her own tears welled. One managed to escape, and she wiped at it furiously.

"I don't know," he admitted with a serious look. "I don't know anything. Your mother was right about me."

Regina sucked on her teeth as her jaw worked for a moment, she shook her head slowly. "Once, you did love me. Once, you were a wonderful man. She didn't use to be right about you. This," she waved at his inebriated swaying, "you did all on your own, and I don't know why."

"I messed up and I didn't know how to fix it. I still don't. I messed up, and now I can't seem to stop." A hand ruffled through his hair, and his tears began to spill over onto his cheeks.

The sight made Regina feel exhausted. She stepped closer to him and reached up to squeeze his shoulders gently. "Daniel, I'll always care about you, but the time for us to be an 'us' is long past." She hesitated and took a deep breath. "I am seeing someone, and it is very much an exclusive relationship."

The tears continued down his face a few moments more before he silently nodded. He pulled her in to a tight hug, his head buried into the soft space between her neck and shoulder. He reveled in her familiar scent, breathing deeply.

It was hard for him to let go of the one constant in his life. He'd loved Regina for a long time, and hadn't felt worthy of her love since college. Yet in that moment, when it was clear that he had lost her unlike ever before, he wished that he could recapture the confidence of his youth.

When he was fifteen, he'd decided that he was going to marry this woman some day, confident that they were meant to be together. He could recall the exact moment he'd lost his way, and he cursed himself like he did every morning.

He clutched Regina tighter, his lips softly brushing against the sweet skin of her neck.

"Daniel," she gasped out in a tormented breath as her head shook from side to side. "This isn't going to happen."

He pulled back, sniffling, and a sad smile settled onto his face. He looked into her eyes, his gaze clearer than it had been in years. "I know."

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><p>Emma cheered as she slid into a parking spot, excitement traveling from her toes to the tips of her fingers. Eugenia had been unable to get out of a work assignment, but when Ruby had heard she'd had to cancel her first real date with the woman she'd not-so-casually been seeing, her friend had readily volunteered to pick up Genie's slack.<p>

The grin she'd given Emma as she dropped Henry off for a day of go-karts, laser tag, and probably a trip to the movies was imprinted in Emma's mind.

She'd been so ecstatic, she'd immediately gone out to buy Regina some flowers as a surprise. She was early compared to when they had actually planned to meet at Regina's loft, but Emma wanted to try and head off any plans Regina might have had for the day.

She hoped her puppy dog eyes and sincerity would have Regina more than willing to cancel the last minute plans she might have made. The soles of her boots seemed loud against the marble entryway, and she spared a wave for the man seated behind the security desk. He gave her a wave and a smile, and Emma cheered internally when she realized Regina had never notified the front desk of the changed Sunday plans.

Emma was on cloud nine as she entered the elevator, her body humming as anticipation trickled down her spine. She examined herself in the clear reflection of the metal doors. She'd decided on simple black slacks and an emerald halter top that made her eyes really pop. Low heeled black boots completed the outfit, and she had her hair up in a loose knot, a few tendrils artfully left out to frame her face.

She had the barest hints of makeup on, and as she held the small bouquet of lilies she thought that the day was off to a great start. The smile lingered on her face all the way to Regina's front door, right up until she rang the doorbell and was greeted by a smiling Daniel drying his hair with a towel.

"Emma! Oh, hey what are you doing here?" he gave her a confused smile, slightly baffled by her presence.

The blood drained from Emma's face and her breathing escalated. "What am I doing here?" her voice sounded muffled to her own ears. Just Friday she and Regina had come to an agreement that they would be dating and seeing each other exclusively – and yet here Daniel was, obviously fresh out of the shower.

"Who is it Daniel?" Regina called out as she came down the stairs still in her robe and pajamas. Her voice was rough, and she'd obviously just woken up.

Emma's teeth gritted. As far as she knew, Regina never slept late unless she'd stayed up late.

"Oh, it's just Emma." He relayed as he stepped back from the door to get a better view of Regina.

Regina froze, her lips parted and her eyes wide. "Emma?"

The woman in question stormed in past a still befuddled Daniel, furiously clutching the bouquet she'd carefully picked out only half an hour before.

"Yes, Emma," she growled out lowly as she approached the still-frozen Regina.

Startled brown eyes blinked, and a pink tongue darted out to moisten suddenly dry lips. "You canceled," was all she could think to say. Her mind wasn't awake enough to deal with the surprise events.

"Yeah, and you didn't waste any fucking time, did you?" Emma stepped up right into Regina's personal space, her blazing viridian eyes harshly taking in how beautiful Regina looked in her sleep-rumpled state.

Daniel had stepped over to observe the interaction, his own eyes widening as comprehension hit him. "You and Emma? Emma is who you've been seeing? What the hell Regina, you're not gay!"

His exclamation only served to ratchet Emma's rage up more, she turned to face him. "Oh yeah? Well she eats pussy like a fucking grade A dyke."

The last of Regina's sleepiness was shaken off at the furious exchange, and her own anger welled up. "Do not speak of me in such a derogatory way," she hissed at Emma. She turned to Daniel, a dismayed look on her face. "Daniel, I think it's best if you go now."

She tried to keep her voice gentle but firm, and Daniel scowled. "At least I know why Emma wasn't interested," he mumbled, a little hurt by the dismissal. He tossed the towel he'd been using off in the direction of the couch and stomped out a moment later.

Regina trailed behind him to lock up, and steeled herself to turn and face Emma again.

She'd barely managed to turn when she was slammed up against the door, her head making painful contact with the solid wood. Her eyes watered at the unexpected pain, and she had to blink a few times to clear her vision.

She opened her mouth to speak and was met with a brutal kiss, Emma's teeth sharply nipping at her sensitive lips. When she tasted blood, she jerked away with a grimace.

"Emma," she began, only to be halted when her robe was pulled open harshly and a thigh forcefully parted her legs. Her hands clutched at Emma's shoulders as she tried to maintain her balance at the swift movements.

Her chest heaved when she realized Emma was out of control, and nothing she was doing was penetrating the wrathful haze the blonde had lost herself in. Finally she decided to fight back the best way she knew how. When Emma leaned in to initiate another angry kiss, Regina kept her lips soft, and she gently ran her hands over Emma's neck and face.

When Emma clutched at her in a near bruising hold, she kept her body relaxed and pliant, her hands traveling to taut arms to sooth the heated flesh with a light caress of her fingers.

After a few repeated movements, Emma began to slow, her own kisses and touches becoming tender. A hint of a smile touched Regina's lips as she ended a languorous kiss with a chaste peck to trembling pink lips.

Emma took a deep breath, and then another. She pulled back slightly, giving Regina a wounded look. She didn't need to say a word.

"Emma," Regina began again carefully. Her warm eyes lingered over Emma's lovely features, and a hand came up to rub at the furrowed brow. "Daniel showed up drunk last night, and I let him sleep on the couch so he wouldn't try driving home. He could have hurt someone – including himself."

"You promise?" Emma's jaw shook as she struggled to get the words out, her emerald eyes desperate. She wanted to believe Regina.

"I promise," Regina reassured. An olive hand rose to tuck a loose tendril of blonde hair behind a pale ear. "I told him last night that nothing would ever happen between him and I again – that I'm in a committed relationship that I am very keen on exploring to the fullest."

Emma swallowed hard. No alarm bells went off in her head, and Regina seemed so very earnest as she relayed her version of events. "Okay," she murmured softly. She pursed her lips and pulled away from Regina, one hand nervously adjusting a strap of her halter top. Her eyes combed the floor, and she stepped over to pick up the mangled bouquet of lilies with a frown.

"Th-these were for you," she kept her head ducked down, ashamed that she'd jumped to conclusions without giving Regina the benefit of the doubt.

Regina eyed the sad flowers, and she idly wondered if they could still be considered flowers with most of the petals missing. "I'm sure they were lovely," she responded politely.

Tears stung at Emma's eyes for a different reason, and she refused to meet Regina's eyes. "This is why I don't do relationships. I totally suck at them. I ruined our first date twice now."

The brunette swallowed at Emma's tone, not liking where the small monologue could be heading. She took a steadying breath and stepped close to Emma, her hands rising to cup the down turned face.

"You haven't ruined anything Emma." When Emma still refused to look up, her thumbs traced a light pattern against the smooth cheeks. "I would very much love to spend the day with you."

Viridian eyes gazed at her tentatively through darkened lashes, and Regina felt a small smile of relief grow on her face. "Emma, you make me feel _so_ much. I won't give up so easily now that we've started this." Her head tilted as she shared an affectionate look with a slowly softening Emma.

Emma's head was fully up, her eyes now meeting Regina's equally. "You make me feel so much, too. So much I feel a little crazy. I've never been so jealous before in my life," she admitted lowly.

Regina's head shook in reflex. "Emma, you have nothing to be jealous of. I chose you. I would choose you again and again. This...whatever it is we have...it has far too much potential for me to overlook."

As Emma began to lean in at a glacial pace, her tone became distracted. "I would be a fool to overlook it."

Her eyes slid shut as Emma brushed their lips together with the barest of contact. The breath caught in her chest as Emma slowly slid her lips up before deepening the kiss.

She'd felt lust and want many times before, but as she was pulled in closer to Emma's body, she could feel the adoration in every millimeter of contact between their mouths. As Emma worshiped the sensitive flesh, she felt every ounce of devotion Emma was willing to give – and it was astounding.

The chain of kisses ended, and their foreheads pressed together as they shared a smile.

Regina pulled away, one hand reaching down to tangle with Emma's as she tugged the woman after her. Emma opened her mouth to protest when they started up the stairs, but when Regina gave her a caring smile, she let it fall closed. A sense of wonder pervaded her senses as they slowly made their way to Regina's bed.

They remained quiet as Regina carefully disrobed and pulled Emma's clothes away, again guiding her until she was seated on the luxurious bed.

Rich chocolate eyes danced as Regina slid onto Emma's lap and began another slow round of kisses, both their pulses accelerating at the contact of their lips and the delicious sensation of skin on skin.

They were lost in each other for countless minutes, and Regina pulled Emma's hair free after a time so she could allow her hands the free reign to slide through the silken strands.

Emma's hands slid down and onto Regina's slowly rocking hips as their mouths continued to express the feelings they'd long denied themselves and each other.

As their kisses continued, Emma felt herself growing dizzy, and it was with some surprise that she realized she kept forgetting to breathe. She sucked in a greedy breath of air, and Regina laughed as Emma tumbled backward.

They landed with a soft 'oof', and Emma smiled up at the sheer delight Regina was displaying.

Regina stilled as she looked down at the woman that inspired so many emotions in her.

Emma swallowed at the look, and tugged a hand up to brush Regina's hair back behind an ear so she could continue to stare unhindered into the hypnotizing umber eyes.

The brunette inhaled sharply, her own hand cupping Emma's on her face, and their eyes searched each other's out for long moments. "Emma," her words were laden with the quiet of a dear secret. "I could easily love you."

The verdant eyes widened, and a huge grin split Emma's face after a moment. "I think part of me already loves you."

Regina returned the grin with one of her own, and she leaned down as she murmured, "I'll just have to work on getting the rest of you along for the ride then."

A groan escaped Emma as Regina planted a series of teasingly soft kisses along her jawline. "I don't think it'll be that hard."

Regina chuckled lowly, white teeth gleaming as she nibbled softly at the sensitive skin of Emma's neck. "Good."

Conversation halted after the exchange as the tension built between their slowly moving bodies, and as their desire and want slowly mounted and crashed they were lost in the oblivion of each other.

They dozed off after a few hours of slow lovemaking, and when Regina woke she was greeted with a sleepy smile and sparkling jade eyes.

"Hey," tenderness permeated from Emma's gaze. "How is it you're stunning no matter when I look at you? You're bewitching," she murmured affectionately.

Though Regina had been complimented for her looks many times, a hint of warmth lingered in her cheeks at Emma's words. "Mm, you're probably a little biased, dear."

The blonde head shook slowly. "I'm pretty sure most people would gladly give anything to be in my position right now."

A surprised laugh rang from the still sleepy Regina, and she rewarded Emma with a gentle kiss. "You're sweet."

Regina sighed and cuddled in to Emma, her head resting on a strong shoulder as she let her mind slowly wake up.

"Regina?"

She shifted her head so she could glance up at Emma. "Mm, yes?"

"What's the story with you and Daniel?"

The question seemed innocent enough, but Regina could hear the vulnerability behind it. She hesitated for only a moment and decided she might as well tell Emma now rather than later.

"Are you sure you want to know? It's a rather long story." Her fingers traced an idle pattern against the pale skin of Emma's collar bone.

"I want to know everything you're willing to share. As long as you're comfortable sharing it," she added quietly.

Regina took a breath, and then began speaking in a steady voice. "I've known Daniel since we were children. We grew up together in the same small town. He was my best friend for years. When puberty hit, we discovered we liked each other as more than just friends, and by our Junior year of high school, he had convinced me we would get married some day."

A soft smile graced her face as she recalled simpler years. "My mother had tolerated Daniel as a friend, but when it was clear that we wanted to get married, she threatened to disown me. Instead of bowing to her wishes, I just went to go live with my dad." She laughed softly, and Emma had to chuckle along with her.

"My parents split when I was still fairly young when my dad found out my mom had a child before they got married and had given it up. He wanted to try and find the other little girl, said she was family, but my mom refused to share any information about her. They ended up splitting shortly after that. Family was very important to my father," Regina's voice was sad as she relayed the last words.

Emma couldn't help but notice the past tense. "Is your father...?"

Regina nodded against her shoulder. "We lost him a few years ago. Heart attack." She cleared her throat to avoid the somber feelings that accompanied those memories. "Anyway, I went to go live with Daddy, and things were fine though Daniel and I lived about an hour apart. We reunited again at college, and I was happy when he proposed our freshman year. We agreed to wait for the actual wedding since school was stressful enough."

She shifted a little as her body began to grow tense, and Emma subconsciously responded by rubbing at her shoulders and arm.

"I got pregnant a year before graduation. Daniel said he was happy, but I knew he was stressed. I wanted to make things easy on him so I kept things fairly light and happy, and his mom would take me to my appointments with the doctor." She grew quiet for a few moments as she tried to mentally gather herself.

"I was so excited about the baby, that I decided to swing by his dorm room before one of the appointments, and I found him with some girl he couldn't even remember the name of. He didn't say anything to me the whole time I cried and asked him why, so I left to go meet his mom like nothing had happened. A few blocks from the OBGYN's office, we were hit by a drunk driver. His mom died instantly, and I..." she swallowed hard. "I lost our baby."

Her hand moved to rest against her abdomen, clutching at it in remembered pain. No matter what had happened to her, what she'd experienced, nothing hurt like the loss of the child she'd wanted from the moment she'd found out about the growing life she'd carried.

Emma held Regina tightly, pressing tender kisses slowly all along her head and face. Regina clutched at Emma, absorbing the silent comfort like a flower starved and reaching for the first rays of light in the morning.

Regina eased after a while, and opted to continue. "Things weren't the same after that. Daniel felt guilty about what happened, even though his _indiscretion_ had absolutely nothing to do with the accident. He started drinking a lot and sleeping around more, until I finally told him I couldn't handle it any more. I thought he would wake up, but instead he just broke off our engagement."

"You've been in love with him all this time?" Emma found that she was curious; not out of insecurity, but out of concern for the woman she was holding. She knew she was biased, but she couldn't help but feel like Regina deserved the very best of everything – but more than that, she deserved to be happy.

"Not really. He killed it slowly and painfully, but I could never truly stop loving him entirely. He was my best friend first, and I couldn't leave him on his own to drown. I guess part of me felt like I was partly to blame for losing the baby, even though I know it doesn't make sense. I thought caring for Daniel was my burden to bear. I gave up on having a relationship with anyone a few years ago. Nothing ever felt right, not like it used to feel with him."

Now Emma's breath caught, and she understood the implication of what they had a whole hell of a lot more than she did before. She wouldn't make Regina say the words, not when she was already sharing so much. Emma's chest felt light, and a heady sense of joy flushed her face.

Regina might not love her yet, but given her history and all the chances she had been unwilling to take before, Emma was stunned to realize that Regina had decided to give _them_ a chance. Regina might not love her yet, but she was well on her way.

Her hand reached down to tangle with the one Regina had resting just under her breast. She smiled as she leaned to kiss Regina's forehead. "You're tougher than I realized Miss Mills."

She could feel Regina shaking with glee, the soft breath of her laughter tickling against Emma's exposed chest. Emma was pleased that she had somehow said the right thing.

Regina raised up so she was resting her weight on an elbow, and she gave Emma a teasing smile. "Why thank you." Her head tilted as her eyes glinted with mischief. "How's your stamina Miss Swan?" A brow arched to accompany the question.

"Around you? Surprisingly good."

Emma grinned as Regina leaned down to join their lips together in an engaging kiss.

It hadn't been what she had in mind for a first date, but even so, she couldn't help but feel they were off to a fantastic start.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**: I so totally don't like writing smut, but this story is so based around it; it can't be helped. This story idea would not leave me alone 'til I wrote it all out. So glad I'm almost done with it, 'cause my wife thinks I'm a perv for this one. Apologies for any mistakes!

* * *

><p>Regina panted as she rotated her hips, her back arching and her head thrown back as Emma's fingers hit just the right spot.<p>

Emma bit her lip at the sound, her eyes riveted on the woman straddling her hips. Her free hand was settled low on Regina's side, thumb brushing a hip bone and fingers squeezing rhythmically at the flesh of a firm ass cheek.

Her green eyes were half-lidded as she felt the slow tightening around her fingers, and her arousal pulsed in her clit as increasing moisture dripped over her hand. When the clutching around her fingers became suddenly desperate, she thrust deeply. Regina released a startled, but pleased groan at the force.

"Yes," she hissed and bucked spasmodically. One hand clutched at Emma's wrist, the other braced against the reclining woman's hip.

After a few moments the movements slowed, and Regina carefully moved so she was lying next to Emma. She licked her lips and leaned down to give Emma a sweet kiss, her lips tugged upward in a satisfied grin.

Her hand brushed over a soft breast, and she let it trail down until it was resting against the moist heat of Emma's vulva. "Have you recuperated enough to come for me again dear?" the sound of her voice was rough and full of lust.

Emma panted lightly and nodded her head.

"Mm, good. How would you like to come, hm? Shall I guess?" She watched Emma through half-lidded eyes, her lips still pulled upward in a wicked grin. She was well aware what Emma usually chose when given a choice, but she loved to hear the words.

A groan escaped Emma, the look on Regina's face driving her wild in combination with the light brushes of soft fingertips against her clit.

"Y-your mouth," she managed to get out.

Regina didn't move, patiently waiting for the right words.

"Fuck," Emma hissed as Regina trailed a nail lightly over her sensitive nub. She gulped. "Please suck me and make me come in your mouth Regina."

The response was immediate, Regina swiftly moving down Emma's torso to gently nibble at the nether lips slickened by lust. Her tongue teased a random pattern, and she pressed light open mouthed kisses randomly over the heated flesh. She heard Emma groan in frustration, and she smiled before sucking the engorged clit into her mouth.

She looked up to see hazy viridian eyes staring at her, and she began to suck more enthusiastically; letting her head bob slightly in her ministrations. Emma's eyes widened, and Regina hurriedly slid two fingers inside. She was just in time to experience the fierce grip of Emma's climax, and she moaned into the flesh below her.

Her ministrations gentled as she needfully drank up Emma's arousal, and she reluctantly pulled her mouth away when the blonde tapped at her shoulder in warning. She looked up at Emma, waiting calmly for green eyes to return to her. As soon as they did, she smirked and wantonly licked at her lips.

"Fuck," Emma groaned and squeezed her eyes shut.

Regina grinned and ascended the familiar body again. She cuddled in to Emma with a happy sigh, her mocha eyes glancing over to the clock on the nightstand to gauge the time.

"What time do you have to pick up Henry?" the husky quality of her voice made Emma shiver, and she impishly leaned in to flick her tongue at a hardened nipple teasingly.

Emma frowned at her playfully, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head as she settled back down on Emma's shoulder. "I can pick him up any time after four if I want. Ruby said she could probably keep him entertained until bed time, but I don't want to take advantage. She's a pretty good friend."

She felt the rumble of Regina humming in agreement a moment before she spoke. "I would have to agree." She paused, considering her words. "Perhaps you can pick him up and bring him back here for dinner."

The brows on Emma's forehead rose in surprise. "On our first date?"

Regina smirked into the skin of her neck. "Mm, I think we've already been unconventional enough. Why not? If things work out between us Henry will be seeing even more of me anyway."

The grin on Emma's face was massive. She couldn't help but be thrilled at the thought of Regina and Henry spending more time together. She'd been cautious about people she'd been seeing spending time with Henry, and even though this was only technically their first date, Emma felt more positive about her future with Regina than she had with any other person in years.

"I'm pretty sure Henry and I would both love that. Especially if your cooking is involved." Her fingers tangled and played with Regina's hair as she spoke.

"Mm, speaking of food, is there anything Henry really doesn't like? I don't want to start off on the wrong foot." She had to suppress a yawn as Emma played with her hair; the affectionate gesture was incredibly soothing.

Emma had to think for a few minutes. "He's not a huge fan of seafood, cabbage, and olives. Other than that, he's a pretty easy going kid. He'll pretty much try anything once."

A pleased sound escaped Regina's throat, though she wasn't sure if it was due to the information or the gentle tugging on the silky strands. "Good. I've got some lovely ingredients for a Moroccan dish that most people seem to love. If I would have known you were coming today I would have started a nice Tajine in the slow cooker."

"I have no idea what that is, but I'm sure it's good if you say it is." Her stomach rumbled to accompany her words.

Regina laughed softly. "Poor Emma, it's past lunch time and you've burned so many calories," she purred. "I'll go make you a grilled chicken panino. Are you alright with a little pesto? Maybe some sun dried tomatoes and arugula?"

Emma's stomach rumbled again as her eyes widened. "I'm not sure what turns me on more; when you talk food or when you talk dirty."

The brunette chuckled, and shifted so she was leaning on her elbow and looking down at Emma. "Normally, I might show you the virtues of my dirty talk, however I'm aware that you're in need of sustenance."

She eyed the supine Emma a moment longer, before reaching a hand down to slap lightly at her still exposed womanhood. Regina was laughing and out of bed a moment later, pulling her robe on and ignoring the blonde's outraged squawk.

The room was quiet, and Emma sighed dreamily as she stared up at the ceiling. Life with Regina would never be boring, of that she was sure.

A smile plastered on her face as she reveled in their day so far together. She'd wanted to really treat Regina on their first date, to take things away from the physical for a change, but that wouldn't really be _them._ She chuckled. Of course they would start their relationship with a bang, and Emma couldn't really regret it.

She groaned as she forced herself up from the bed, finding an additional robe laid out over the foot board. She smiled and tugged it on, pleased that Regina had thought of her.

Emma had plans. She would eat, and then she would give Regina a few orgasms in her well appointed kitchen in thanks. She hummed as she pictured Regina in nothing but an apron, bent over the kitchen counter. Her head shook after a moment and she made her way down the stairs.

She was pretty sure this was her favorite first date ever.

* * *

><p>Lunch had been fantastic and diverting, and Regina had to be extremely forceful to get Emma in the shower so she would be clean, fresh, and ready to pick up Henry on time.<p>

Emma might have secretly loved the impatient look on Regina's face, especially the way she scrunched her face up when she was being sassy. She called Ruby from her car to let her friend know that she was on her way, and her best friend had replied cheerfully to the news.

The drive over was uneventful, and she checked herself in the rear view mirror before leaving the car. She was pretty sure Ruby would be able to tell what she'd spent most of the day doing, and there was an odd mix of excited embarrassment at the thought of her friend knowing.

She knocked firmly and waited, her hands fumbling nervously in front of her. The moment Ruby opened the door, her grey-blue eyes lit up.

"Someone looks thoroughly sexed. I thought you said it was your first date? Really Emma, what kind of a woman are you?" The playful wink and wide grin that accompanied the words made it clear that Ruby was only teasing.

Emma shrugged, a devilish smirk on her face. "What can I say? Regina is one of a kind and completely irresistible."

Ruby arched a brow. "Hm, when did you say I could meet her again?"

Viridian eyes narrowed at the glint in Ruby's eyes. "Now? Never. Mine!" She cleared her throat. "Did you and Henry have fun today?"

The lanky woman took the topic shift in stride, smiling as she thought of the boy. "Of course. I'm the cool aunt he never had but always wanted. We totally slaughtered the other team in laser tag. That boy of yours sure is crafty. We set up a few traps and blitzed the hell out of some people. Pretty sure we traumatized a few teens." She stepped back as she spoke, welcoming Emma in warmly as they walked down the short hallway to find Henry seated on the couch next to an animated Grace.

"Hey Grace," she greeted the sweet blonde girl with a smile and a wave. Henry's crush on the amiable pre-teen had been apparent for a while, and she was glad he seemed to be over the shyness that had been debilitating around Grace.

"Hi Emma," came the bright response, and the girl turned back to avidly listen to something Henry had been saying.

As he finished, Henry finally spared a glance at his mother, rolling his eyes when he took in her appearance. "Geez Ma, were you on a date or something? You almost never wear dresses."

Emma shifted uncomfortably for a moment before clearing her throat. "Actually, yeah. I was on a date."

Henry's attention focused completely on his mom, his lips parted in surprise. "Wow, really? With who?"

Her pink tongue came out to brush over her dry lips nervously. "Well, if you really want to know..." she trailed off and watched him nod excitedly. "It's Regina."

Her son burst into raucous laughter, and she frowned at him as he continued, wiping away moisture from his eyes. He calmed after a while and looked at her again. "So, really, who is it?"

Emma pursed her lips and shot him a glare. "Regina," she enunciated clearly.

"No way! She agreed to date you? You have more game than I thought, Mom." He gave her a respectful look.

She pouted and brought her hands up to rest on her hips. "Why is it so hard to believe that she would date me?"

"You're cool and all Mom, but you and Regina are just so...different." He paused thoughtfully. "Hm, yeah. That actually makes sense. You guys would probably balance each other out. I approve. Regina will be good for us." He was nodding his head as he finished his monologue.

Emma gave him a dead-eyed look. "Well, gee thanks. I'm glad you're happy about it, 'cause we're going over to her loft for dinner."

"No way, sweet! Astrid says she's a totally wicked cook. That berry pie-tart thing or whatever it was you brought home that one time was pretty good." His thrilled green eyes were dancing as he looked at his mom.

"I'm pretty glad you like her so much kid, because I kinda do too."

They shared a warm smile, and Henry turned to speak quietly to Grace for a moment. She leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss to his cheek, and Henry's face flooded red with embarrassment.

He jolted up and stormed past his mom, not bothering to look anyone in the eye.

Ruby and Grace shared a laugh, the former walking forward to give her niece a high five. "Good job Gracie, he's a total goner."

Grace blushed, but accepted the high five. "He's very nice."

Emma guffawed. "I love watching you two torture my son. Crafty little bugger needs a taste of his own medicine sometimes." She gave both a wave. "Thanks for letting Henry hang out with you guys today, we've gotta go before his face catches on fire." She said the last part loudly, wanting to make sure her son heard it all the way near the front door.

Judging by the loud groan that could be heard from the entrance hallway, he hadn't missed a word she'd said. She gave the other ladies in the room another grin, before turning to collect her son and head out.

* * *

><p>Regina adjusted the place settings at her table for the nth time, inexplicably nervous at the thought of Henry and Emma having dinner at her loft. She knew that Henry liked her, but liking her as someone dating his mom could be an entirely different matter altogether.<p>

She bit her lip and worried about the dish she'd prepared for dinner. Was it too exotic? Should she have gone with something safer? Everyone that had tried it had loved it, but she hadn't really fed anyone even close to Henry's age in years. None of her friends had children, and most of the time her co-workers left their children at home for company parties.

Anxious energy filled her, and she bolted up to check the ingredients of her pantry. If Henry didn't like the couscous dish, she was certain she could make a decent creamy macaroni and cheese with a nice bacon Parmesan garnish. Then again, if she did that, Emma would know that she'd folded because she was nervous. Why did she tell Emma that she'd decided to do something Moroccan for dinner?

Her doorbell sounded, and the unexpected sound made her jerk in surprise. She sucked in a breath, hoping to calm herself, and it seemed to work – a little. Her hands smoothed over the skirt of her simple azure and black sheathe, and she made herself approach the door at a sedate pace.

The anxiety she'd been feeling dissipated as soon as she opened the door to see Henry grinning madly at her, and her face reflected the grin right back at him.

"Hello Henry," her face ached a little at the force of the smile, but it couldn't be helped.

"Hey Regina! My mom said you made something Moroccan for dinner? I've never had Moroccan, but Astrid said you're magic in the kitchen so I'm sure it's amazing!" Henry was nearly bouncing with energy, and Regina laughed as she held the door open wider to let them in.

Emma stood back, shaking with silent laughter as she observed the duo interact. She shook her head at their easy rapport. If things ended up not working out, she was fairly certain Henry and Regina would still be buddies for life with how quickly they'd bonded.

She trailed quietly behind them, shutting the door and locking up as Regina and Henry chattered excitedly to each other. They were making slow progression toward the living room, and Emma smirked the entire time.

"-ey chased Grace right into the trap Ruby and I had set up! We got like six of them before they even knew what had happened!" Henry crowed delightfully.

"You have quite the mind for tactics," the warm affection in Regina's tone had a tinge of pride to it, though she had nothing to do with the well-developed mind Henry sported.

"Thanks. It's a good thing Ruby is a good shot though. I'm alright, but Ruby is just a total ace. She kinda makes me think of Wonder Woman or something, you know? She's tall with dark hair and blue eyes, and man she's so fit! I'm pretty sure she could beat up pretty much anyone." Henry had always been in awe of Ruby's physical prowess; he was proud of the woman he considered his aunt.

Emma's eyes narrowed as Henry touted her best friend's attributes. She walked up to him and playfully hit his arm. "Hey, if you're gonna praise anyone, how bout you compliment your mom to the lady she's dating, hm?"

Regina easily caught the hint of jealousy and decided to tease the woman a little. She focused her eyes on Henry and let an impressed look settle on her face. "So, when do I get to meet this delightful Ruby?" She added just a hint of a purr to her words just to aggravate Emma's apparent possessiveness.

Henry caught on easily, wanting to get his mom back for his embarrassment in front of Grace. "Well, I have her number on my cell, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind me sharing it. I'm pretty sure you guys would hit it off since she's just so much fun."

"Hey!" Emma's voice was high pitched and offended as she glared back and forth between Regina and Henry.

They turned and gave her equally evil grins, and she frowned when she realized they'd been messing with her. "Some first date," she mumbled grumpily.

Regina felt a pang of guilt, and gently turned Henry by the shoulders so he was facing away. "Don't look Henry," she emphasized in a warning tone. Henry groaned and walked forward a few steps, his hands coming up to cover his ears.

The petite woman stepped forward, her arms curling up to rest on Emma's shoulders as she tugged her into a soft kiss.

Emma remained stiff for a very brief moment, unable to resist the tenderness of the contact. Regina kept the kiss relatively chaste, but she pulled back to brush more over the corners of Emma's mouth a few times before pulling away. "Is that better?" Her voice was low and intoxicating.

It took all of Emma's willpower to remember her son was in the room, and she needed to behave. "I guess. You might need to give me a few more of those later."

Henry was humming loudly, not wanting to hear anything going on behind him no matter how much he liked Regina.

Emma chuckled as she shared a last kiss with Regina, even as Henry loudly asked if they were almost done yet. She stalked forward and squeezed Henry from behind, giving him a wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Ew, mom, ew!"

She leaned back, both brows raised. "You didn't' say that when Grace kissed you on the cheek earlier."

Once again, Henry's face flushed with embarrassment and he glared at his mom.

A pleased smile overtook Regina's face. "Grace kissed you on the cheek? I take it my advice worked out?"

Henry turned his attention to Regina, resolute that he would ignore his mom for at least fifteen minutes as punishment for her need to continually embarrass him. A bashful smile peeked out on his face, and he nodded. "Yeah, you were so right. I think she really, really likes me."

"Well, if she's as smart as you claim, it only makes sense. You're a wonderful young man Henry, and any girl would be foolish not to recognize that. You have a natural charm that I think you get from your mother," her eyes slid over to observe Emma from under her lashes, and she enjoyed the delight her words seemed to inspire in her lover.

The boy glanced between the silently staring women, and he cleared his throat loudly. "Well I'm sure you worked super hard on dinner Regina, and I'd hate for it to get cold."

Mirth danced in Regina's mocha eyes as they flicked back to Henry. "You're such a considerate gentleman. Let's go get dinner started, shall we?"

He nodded eagerly, and Regina happily led the way to her comfortable dining room. It was elegant, but somewhat casual – at least by her mother's standards. A small thrill always ran down her spine when she considered the gentle rebellion she'd taken in decorating the space.

Her mother always insisted on having a formal eating area, but Regina had always hated it. Most days she'd just eat in the kitchen with her father, though that hadn't lasted long after they'd divorced.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and guided Emma and Henry to their seats. She put Henry at the head of the table, with her and Emma seated at either side of him. She was certain he would get a kick out of the arrangement, and she really would like to be able to easily watch Emma as she tried one of Regina's signature dishes.

"Wow, you so totally spoil my son." Emma took in the seating with raised brows, but licked her lips when she felt a foot rub teasingly at her calf. She swallowed hard once, and silently admitted there might be some benefit to letting her son have the head of the table.

"It's all part of my plan, of course." She gave both Emma and Henry a serene smile. "I intend to spoil the both of you so much that you couldn't possibly imagine life without me." She scrunched her face up adorably to emphasize the impish nature of her words as she began to carefully dole out portions of food.

Henry guffawed. "Well, Mom's easy so it won't take much to keep her attention."

Emma choked on the apricot she'd stolen from Henry's plate at her son's word choice.

Regina smirked at Emma's reaction, but relayed her words to Henry. "That's good to know, dear."

That set the tone for most of the dinner, and Emma found herself blushing far more than she had in a long time as Henry and Regina set out to gently tease her for most of the sporadic dinner conversation. She wasn't truly embarrassed by the joint attack; instead, she found herself feeling even more positive about their potential.

She and Regina really did have all the right ingredients for a good, lasting relationship. They had enough in common to be able to relate to each other, fantastic chemistry, and her son loved Regina. They had some trust issues to work out mainly because of how their odd relationship had started out, but Regina had been brutally honest since they'd decided to make a commitment to each other.

Emma felt incredibly hopeful overall. Her mind snapped back to conversation as she caught the tail end of Henry's words.

"-never told you why? It's actually kinda cool, really. It's also tied to why my name is Henry." He turned to face his mom. "Do you want to tell the story?"

She cleared her throat, knowing exactly what story her son was referring to. When she was younger, she'd been embarrassed to tell the story, but she didn't want to lie to her son. Henry had grown to love it though, and said that it was very important proof that fairy godmothers did exist – just not necessarily exactly as they were portrayed in fairy tales.

"When I found out I was pregnant with Henry, I was in a juvenile detention facility." She felt Henry's hand come to rest over hers on the table. He squeezed it once and gave her a smile, and she was so proud at how open minded her son had grown to be. "I was so stressed, and I'm pretty sure I cried for a week straight. The counselor that worked at the facility was pretty cool, though I usually mocked him because he was clearly balding and liked to wear these dorky bow ties." She smiled as she recalled the sincere face of a well-meaning, though slightly naive face of Dr. Hopper.

"Anyway, as time passed I got more and more stressed. I was torn about what I was going to do, half of me wanting to keep him and the other half thought it was best to give him up. But right before I was going to give birth, I panicked. I had no clue how I was going to take care of him. Dr. Hopper set me up with this volunteer group that was full of people wanting to help troubled youth, and I was put into contact with this really nice older guy. At first I thought he must be a creeper wanting to help teen aged girls, but he just laughed at me."

Henry squeezed her hand again, a small smile playing around his lips because he knew what was coming.

"Over the last month of my sentence, I got to know him pretty well. We would talk about all sorts of random stuff, and he was actually a pretty good listener. He would share little nuggets of wisdom randomly during our talks, and one day I just had to know why he cared so much. He gave me this kind of sad smile and said he'd lost two daughters during his life, and though he'd recently gotten one back, he never knew what happened to the other one. He said he wished that somewhere there had been someone like him looking out for her – that she had someone that just was one hundred percent on her side to give her the support he's sure she needed. He never told me exactly what happened, but I figured there was probably a divorce and a falling out somewhere in there."

Regina was watching her intently, an odd look on her face.

"He ended up convincing me that Henry's best chance would be with me, if it's what I really wanted. He said there were no guarantees in life, but he could tell that I loved my baby so much. He said that if I wanted to keep my baby he would help me get the help I needed when I got out so that me and my then unnamed baby would have a shot." Her eyes peered at Regina intently. "He really got to me, you know? I gave birth a couple of weeks before I was to be released, and I knew what I wanted to name him. The guy had a Spanish name I couldn't pronounce well, so I looked up the English translation. That's how Henry got his name, and it's also what inspired me to become a PI. It was partly that I wanted to try finding my family, and partly because I wished I could help that guy find his missing daughter."

Her verdant eyes took in the gamut of expressions that chased all over Regina's face, and she felt a little confusion as she noticed the moisture gathering in warm umber eyes.

"Emma," her red lips trembled a little. "His name was Enrique?"

Emma nodded, a bright smile on her face. "You know Spanish?"

Regina nodded absentmindedly and licked her lips. "Enrique Molinos?" her voice shook as she voiced her thoughts.

Now Emma was really confused, and she carefully nodded. Her eyes widened as Regina got up suddenly and stalked from the room. What had she said that was wrong?

The dark haired woman returned a moment later, sniffling lightly and clutching a small photo album. Her hands reverently ran over the cover before she carefully opened it and set it down in front of Emma.

The seated woman inhaled a sharp breath as she took in the picture of a young Regina being hugged tightly by a grinning man she was very familiar with. "You know him?"

Regina cleared her throat carefully. "When my mother married my father, she refused to take on the Spanish version of his name, she said that while Daddy was rich, minorities were still looked down upon in our home town. This man," she pointed to the picture, "is my father."

Emma's mouth dropped open, and she stared at Regina in stunned silence.

"Whoa!" Henry exclaimed and pulled the photo album closer to look at the picture. "So that's what he looks like. Wow, this is so cool! Do you still see your dad a lot?"

His excited question drew Regina from the daze she'd been in, and she gave Henry a mournful look. "I'm sorry Henry, Daddy died a few years ago."

Henry looked a little crestfallen, but a smile broke out on his face as he looked between Regina and his mom. "You know, this kinda feels like destiny or something."

"Or something," Emma murmured in agreement. She wasn't sure how she should feel about this. It was wild and crazy, but somehow...right. She stood and pulled Regina in for a hug, releasing a breath she'd been holding when Regina curled in to the hug easily.

Regina wasn't sure what to say, so she just clung quietly to Emma. Her father had been adamant about volunteering ever since she could remember, but she had no idea that Emma had been one of the girls he'd been lucky enough to reach. It deepened the bond she felt for the woman, the subtle tie to her father making her feel as though destiny might truly have something good in store for them for a change.

She sniffled a little and pulled back, one hand carefully wiping at her eyes so as not to smear her makeup. She cleared her throat. "Well, after this surprising bout of heavy emotion, I think a nice lighthearted movie is in order, what do you say Henry?"

Henry stood and started collecting the used dishes, giving her a grin as he did so. "Sounds like a great idea Regina."

"I vote for Kung Fu Panda!" Emma chimed in, not caring if she seemed immature at the suggestion.

Regina gave her a raised brow, and she shrugged. "What? Tigress kind of reminds me of you." She paused as Regina's gaze remained steady. "Oh come on, have you even watched it? It's completely amazing."

The brunette found herself chuckling lightly. "Alright Emma, if Henry agrees, I suppose we can watch that one."

Henry chortled at the decision being left up to him, and he gave his mom a devilish look. "I suppose we can watch Kung Fu Panda...if I can stay up two hours later tonight."

Emma scowled at him. "One hour."

"Deal!"

* * *

><p>Emma was on cloud nine as she walked into work that morning. She and Regina had made out in her BMW for a while, and she'd really enjoyed the change of pace. Now that they'd deepened their arrangement into something more meaningful, she found she was pretty happy.<p>

She sighed as she recalled how well Sunday night had gone, and she and Henry had reluctantly left Regina and the comfortable loft just a bit before her son's bed time. If Regina wasn't careful, Emma was fairly certain there would be some U-haul lesbian jokes floating around soon.

How could she not be completely enamored of the woman? They just seemed to fit together. She was incredibly giddy, though she knew she really needed to slow herself down. With Henry, it was really in everyone's best interest if they took things a little more slowly. It was difficult though, considering how well they all just got along.

She firmed her jaw and nodded at herself. She needed to take Regina out on some proper dates so they could get to know the little idiosyncrasies about each other that sometimes could make or break a relationship.

She'd known a couple that had been madly in love and had gotten married after knowing each other a few months – only after they lived together they'd grown to hate each other since their living personalities horribly clashed and they'd begun to resent each other.

Emma didn't want that. Regina was the real deal, so she needed to approach this seriously. She gave Astrid a bright smile as she passed her desk, and was puzzled by the unusually subdued demeanor the normally cheerful woman exuded.

"Hey Astrid, is anything wrong?" She turned back to approach the desk. She and Astrid weren't exactly friends, but she liked the enthusiastic woman and her open personality. Her adorable not-so-secret romance with Leroy was charming as well.

Astrid's smile wobbled as she regarded Emma, her eyes not quite able to meet the standing woman's. She sighed. "It's nothing I can really talk about yet."

Emma nodded in understanding. "Alright, but if you need to talk I'd be more than happy to listen."

Watery brown eyes focused on her, and the administrative assistant nodded, though she didn't speak.

Pale hands tucked into the pockets of her dark slacks as Emma turned to head for her office, a little unsettled at the brief encounter. She opened her office door distractedly, not noticing the man seated behind her desk right away.

She blinked and focused as she realized she wasn't alone. Her brow furrowed before she gave the seated man an impassive look. "Daniel? What do you want?"

Hard blue eyes focused on her, and he sneered as he addressed her. "You're fired."

She blinked again, completely unprepared for the venom from the usually amiable boss. "What?"

"I've decided to let you go. It was really a rather poor decision to hire you in the first place, and if I'd have let Regina look at your resume first, it wouldn't have happened at all. You're fired," he looked at her like she was an insignificant insect unworthy of his time.

Anger burned in Emma. "This is because I'm with Regina now, isn't it? Well, you know what? You can't fire me without cause. I read my contract."

Daniel smirked at her and tapped a folder on her desk that she hadn't paid attention to before. "In here is a formal written complaint from Mr. Nolan. I'm only going to say this one more time," he looked her dead in the eye as he carefully relayed each syllable. "You're fired."

The bottom dropped out from under Emma, and she swallowed hard.

She'd been completely blindsided, and she felt numb. "I'll just collect my things," she said in a daze.

"That won't be necessary," Daniel sneered haughtily at her. "I'll have security box your things up. We really don't want you making off with any sensitive information."

Emma gritted her teeth and turned to storm out of her office. She met the mournful brown eyes of Astrid as she made her way out toward the waiting room, and it was then that she realized that Astrid had been upset on her behalf.

Just when she thought things were going so well in her life...of course something had to derail it all. She sucked in a pained breath and swallowed as she stood in front of the obviously upset Astrid.

They looked at each other quietly for a few moments, and Emma had no idea what she was going to do.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**: Fun-fact – one of my most common typos is writing "Reina" for "Regina." It's so awesome that both mean Queen. Thanks for all the reviews! Surprise! As always, apologies for any mistakes...I super rushed this one out!

* * *

><p>Regina had only just begun to comb through her copious collection of work emails when an email title caught her eye. <em>911 at the front<em>, it said. Her eyes flicked to the sender and she was surprised to see Astrid's email address. A frown marred her face as she considered the implications.

She had no idea what it could mean, but the time stamp was already fifteen minutes old, which meant that it had been sent right before she'd come in to the office from the parking garage and her tête-à-tête with Emma. An odd feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, and she didn't bother opening the email or calling. Instead she stood from her desk and briskly walked to her office door and out into the hallway.

Astrid was a solid administrative assistant, and she wasn't one to abuse the system with false cases of alarm. Though the woman could be a bit clumsy from time to time, Regina had always considered her presence as necessary for the office to remain well-oiled and running smoothly. The woman was more than competent, and her natural charm could ease even the most irate of people.

It was with some surprise that she walked out to waiting room to find Emma being book ended by two burly security guards, a wounded expression on her face.

Regina gave the men a furious look, "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

The younger man blinked and sent her a confused look. "We were told that we were needed to escort a terminated employee off of the premises."

Sable brows rose, "On whose authority?"

The gruffer look of the two responded in a surprisingly pleasant voice. "Daniel Boyd, ma'am." He gave her a respectful look. "Is there a problem here?"

She pursed her lips and shot a concerned look at Emma. "What happened?"

Emma's head was shaking from side to side. "I just walked into my office and he told me I was fired. He said Mr. Nolan filed a formal complaint."

Surprise hit Regina again, and her tone was wry. "I pleaded with Mr. Nolan to file a complaint when he told me of your behavior initially, and he steadfastly refused." Her eyes flicked to the waiting security guards, glad that she'd interacted with them far more than Daniel had ever bothered to do.

"Gentleman, I'm dreadfully sorry for the confusion, but I'm afraid your services will not be needed. I hope you'll allow MBI to buy you lunch as a token of apology." She used the smooth politician's voice her mother had taught her at a young age in hopes that one day she'd seek a career in the field. It had only given her another skill in her chosen line of work, unlike all her mother's hopes to an alternate choice.

The well built men straightened, and the older of the two spoke up again. "That won't be necessary Miss Mills, we're just doing our job. It's always a pleasure to be of service to MBI."

She spared the respectful men a small, genuine smile. "I insist, just this once."

They looked at her for another moment before the younger man cleared his throat. "Just this once, then." If Regina didn't know better, she would say that the large man was blushing.

Her eyes flicked to Astrid, and the seated woman gave her a huge smile as she made a note about Regina's wishes.

Regina gave the men a last smile and politely addressed them one last time, "That will be all, thank you gentlemen."

They gave her deferential nods in response to the cordial dismissal, and turned to make their way out of the office.

Emma watched them go with no small amount of relief, and she turned a wary gaze to Regina. "Thanks."

"Think nothing of it, dear." Regina replied distractedly. She sighed, and turned her full attention to Emma. "Is Daniel still in your office?"

"I think so, yeah. He hasn't come out this way, at least." She made an uncomfortable face.

Regina regarded her quietly for a few heartbeats, her expression indiscernible. "I think you should go wait in my office for a bit. I need to go have a few words with him, and regardless of the circumstances, it would be unprofessional for you to be involved in this discussion."

An uncomfortable look was shot her way, but Emma was already feeling off kilter from the surprise Daniel had given her. Normally, she might have argued, but she didn't want to make things even more difficult for Regina. "Alright," she finally responded.

She knew she'd made the correct decision when Regina's face relaxed and she gave Emma an affectionate glance.

The dark haired woman turned her attention to a quiet Astrid. "You did an excellent job in notifying me about this without bringing it to Daniel's attention. I'm once again glad to have you here at MBI."

Though an email might seem a benign form of contact to most people, Astrid was keenly aware of Regina's routine. The office manager's attention to detail was part of what made her such a key element at MBI.

Regina made a mental note to add another accolade to the woman's file so she'd remember when it came time to factor in year-end bonuses. She might even tell Leroy that it was long due for him to make a move at the next company party.

She took in a slow breath to brace herself for what she needed to do next. "If you'll both excuse me, I have an important issue to address." Her head tilted slightly as a shuttered, professional mask slid over her face.

Emma suppressed a shiver at the sudden coldness, and she was incredibly glad that her name wasn't Daniel Boyd at that moment.

* * *

><p>Daniel felt pretty good at what he'd managed to pull off. He couldn't believe how much everything had backfired in his life just because he'd hired Emma Swan. Regina had been right in her original assumption that the woman would be trouble. He just had no idea that it wouldn't be directly because of work.<p>

He still couldn't believe that the woman had so easily usurped the most important position at Regina's side. Regina had _never_ taken anyone's side over his. He knew that he was being a little selfish, but how the hell was he supposed to function at work knowing that the woman Regina had picked over decades of history with him was just a hallway away?

He'd just wanted to sleep with the blonde a little when he'd hired her – not marry her or anything! A pained look grew on his face as he considered everything he'd already lost. Daniel knew he was a Grade A screw up, but he'd always secretly hoped that one day he'd be able to clean up his act and be the person Regina wanted and needed; he wanted to be the man he'd been before, for Regina.

The first time he'd stepped out on Regina had been a horrible, terrible thing that he'd never intended. The girl he'd studied with off-and-on for his Brit Lit class had always had a little bit of a crush on him, but he'd never even looked at her twice.

Regina had always been the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He'd thought that things would be fine, but he hadn't anticipated how much the woman's ego-stroking would affect him when he was feeling low and unworthy of Regina.

The day that he'd lost himself in one stupid moment had been right after Cora had found out Regina was pregnant. The woman had called and screamed at him for nearly an hour, and he'd been so stressed with his classes that he'd just sat there and let her say whatever the hell she'd wanted. It had broken him.

He still couldn't remember the damn blonde's name, but he sure as hell did remember Regina's face when she'd walked into his dorm room. He remembered the way her hands had rested protectively over her slightly swollen belly as if to protect their unborn child from the harsh reality that his or her father was a total screw up.

The timing of the horrible accident that had taken both the life of his mother and his child had seemed far too coincidental to him; he couldn't help but feel karma was punishing him for ruining his future with the one woman he'd always claimed to love more than breathing.

The sound of the door opening drew his attention, and he prepared a smile as he anticipated being able to gleefully tell security to pack up Emma's things.

Instead, the smile immediately fell from his face and he felt the blood drain from his face.

"Oh, Regina?" He chuckled nervously. "What are you doing here?" He winced as the last question came out more like an annoying, high pitched squeak.

Regina's face was stony and generally unreadable, but the way her eyes gleamed had him swallowing hard. He'd hoped that Emma would already be gone and packed up by the time Regina found out. His heart skipped a beat as she continued to stare at him quietly.

Hard earthen eyes gazed at him dispassionately. He'd seen her use that look many times before – just usually not directed at him.

"Regina, I can explain," he began nervously. He knew there was no point in pretending that he had no clue what she was there about. She would probably only get angrier.

That got a reaction from her, a completely insincere expression forming on her face. "Oh, really? Because I'd _love_ to hear the explanation for your completely unethical termination of Emma Swan." She sneered and gave him a dismissive look as she spoke.

Daniel gritted his jaw in response. "From the beginning, you wanted her gone. It wasn't until you started fucking her that you suddenly wanted to keep her on. If either of us has been unethical, it's **you** Regina."

A snort escaped Regina, and she snarled at his audacity. "Do you really want to go there Daniel? Because I think we know who wins when it comes to unethical behavior. Also, for your information I decided to give Emma Swan a break on the recommendation of a man that evaluated her job performance and gave her a positive review. _That's_ when I decided to give her a chance."

Fury burned low in Daniel's gut, but he was unsure how to respond.

Regina licked her lips, her eyes drooping to half-mast as she gave Daniel a devilish look. "Although, if you really must know. I enjoyed fucking her in your guest room. And on that delightful leather couch in your den on the night of the party when you failed so fabulously at trying to seduce her. We didn't sleep at all until the sun came up."

Part of her felt bad for speaking of Emma in such a way, but now that she knew the blonde woman better, she was fairly certain Emma would take great delight in the fact that she'd so deliciously decided to taunt the man.

Daniel's fists were clenched in his lap, and he jerked up from his seat to storm over to Regina. "At my fucking house? Are you kidding me?"

A purr of satisfaction vibrated in Regina's throat at Daniel's ire. "Mm, oh yes. Consider it payback for that time I caught you with that whore – I don't remember her name, but I'm fairly certain you _did _have to pay her for her time before she would leave – at my loft." Her lips twitched in amusement, "I had an absolutely delightful time taking Emma repeatedly right under your nose. I must say, she's given me the best sex of my life."

The sound of the slap was like a gunshot going off in the quiet office, and Daniel's chest heaved with anger a moment before he burst in to tears.

Regina eyed him in disgust for a moment, her tongue poking out to gently gauge the severity of her split lip. "I'm dissolving our partnership, and I'm taking all the staff with me. I do believe I more than have enough grounds to legally present my lawyer. By the way, before I ask Abigail when I call her to notify her about this, how in the hell did you get David to write a formal complaint?"

The tears lasted only a few moments longer, before Daniel managed a gruff response. "I threatened to tell his mother about the affair."

"You realize that would have opened the door for lawsuits not only against you, but our firm?" Her brow rose, but she was otherwise not surprised. "No, of course, that would require a little more thinking on your part."

Daniel shook his head, the redness of his eyes and nose stirring a modicum of pity in her. She killed such thoughts immediately. Before he'd hit her, she might have allowed him that small token, but all bets were off the moment he'd touched her in anger.

"David would never sue me," he mumbled resolutely.

"Oh Daniel, don't be so naive. Yes, sure, David would never sue you...the same way I'm sure David used to be sure he could trust you not to reveal privileged information bound to privacy not only by friendship, but by a legal contract."

The dark haired man just stared at her for a few moments. "I'm sorry I hit you, I really shouldn't have done that." He began to anxiously run both hands through his hair, clutching a little at his head. "I've had too much to drink and I'm not thinking clearly. A-are you really going to dissolve the firm?"

"You can't use drinking as your excuse when you never stop drinking." She paused to gauge his mood before responding to his question. "And, yes. I fully intend to dissolve MBI and reform it under a new name."

"W-who'll handle the difficult clients? You hate interacting with slime like Albert Spencer," his voice was weak, and he knew his arguments were equally so. In the scheme of things, Regina was far more irreplaceable than he was. He'd known that for a long time. He'd known he was nothing particularly special.

Regina watched him flounder for a while before she deigned to give him a response. "I'm actually quite impressed with Astrid, and I do believe she'll get a promotion and a raise."

Daniel pursed his lips as he considered something. "Astrid told you, didn't she?"

Amusement flickered over Regina's face. "Yes. She's an amazing woman that always seems to know the right things to do at precisely the right time. She's got a wonderful intuition, and frankly she's wasted as an administrative assistant. I'm just happy the pay and benefits here have kept her from wandering to another job."

"So this is it huh? You choose that blonde bitch over me?" His voice broke again and his chin wobbled.

A forlorn look grew in umber eyes, and Regina grew solemn. Her head shook, her dark hair swaying gently with the movement. "It didn't have to be a choice Daniel." Her voice was gentle, and far different from any other tone she'd used since entering Emma's office. "I would have been your best friend for life, just like I promised in the sixth grade. _You_ made this into a choice, and frankly? You've been a shitty friend for years."

Quiet grew between them as Daniel brooded over Regina's words. He knew everything she'd said was true, but it still didn't change the fact that he wished things were different. He felt indelibly weary as the silence lingered, and a sense of defeat began to overwhelm him.

"I'm really sorry for a lot of things Regina. Nothing I can say will ever make up for all the things I've done to hurt you over the years. I promise you this, and I know it's not much, but I won't contest the dissolution. I won't demand a buyout either. I owe you that much."

She almost wanted to thank him for the concession, but she knew that Daniel's moods were mercurial at best when he was on a drinking binge. He might give her wild promises now, but when the time came for them to separate and resolve the disputes at a table full of lawyers...well who knew how the man would react. "Alright, Daniel." Her voice was careful and her phrasing noncommittal to any sort of formal agreement.

Daniel moved to leave the room, having nothing left to stay.

"Daniel," she spoke cautiously as she watched him freeze with his hand on the doorknob.

"Yeah?" he didn't turn to face her, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the closed door.

"Have Astrid call you a cab."

He nodded, though the ghost of concern didn't so much as stir a hint of a smile on his face. Regina didn't care about him any more; her interest was probably more about the people he might hurt while driving. The thought shattered the last of his hope.

* * *

><p>Emma paced anxiously in Regina's office. It had been nearly twenty minutes since Regina had disappeared in the direction of her office, and every single one of them had been agony for her quickly fraying mood.<p>

Her day had been a roller coaster so far, and she was only about an hour into her work day. She'd had a wonderful time with Regina in the parking garage, making out like two teenagers in love in the back of the elegant woman's BMW. Then, there'd been the shock of arriving at work only to be told she was fired by the man she'd always thought of as an easygoing boss. The arrival of the two impressive looking security guards had made that all the more real.

The roller coaster had picked her back up again when Regina arrived just in time to save Emma from being escorted from the building – and probably making a scene when she blubbered uncontrollably outside the lobby. Emma wasn't a huge crier, but she'd just started her period that morning goddammit and why did all the bad shit have to happen on the same day?

She glanced at the clock again, doing another circuit of Regina's office. She made a disgusted noise at herself and moved to jerk the door open.

Viridian eyes widened when she saw Regina slowly making her way down the hallway, head ducked down with her fists clenched at her sides. She only spared a tiny moment to admire the way she looked in the houndstooth dress Emma had only admitted last night she thought Regina looked particularly amazing in.

Emma licked her lips, wondering if she should say something or if she should just let Regina have another few quiet moments to think. She sighed silently and decided that Regina obviously needed a few more moments to her thoughts.

She leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms lazily, her head coming to rest against the frame of the door as she waited.

It wasn't until Regina was literally right in front of Emma that she finally noticed her. The dark eyes widened as she took in Emma's posture with no small amount of bewilderment.

"Emma," she murmured absently.

Verdant eyes narrowed as they were drawn to the small line of blood on the opposite side of Regina's scar. "He hit you?" The question was a furious sibilation, and her right hand moved to cup the injured side of Regina's face carefully.

A soft hand came to rest on the outstretched wrist, and Regina spared her a cautious, tender smile. "Only once, and he'll pay for it."

"You're damn right he will," Emma growled from between clenched teeth as her nostrils flared.

"Emma," now Regina's voice was full of amusement, and there was a light in her eyes at Emma's protective instinct. "I can take care of myself, and I'd really rather that you weren't arrested for assault."

Emma scowled, but didn't dispute Regina's words. Her thumb brushed softly against Regina's cheekbone.

"Besides," the mischievous glint in brown eyes remained, "Neon orange is really not your color."

"The local prisons actually use green outfits to house offenders," Emma responded automatically.

A soft chuckled drifted from Regina's lips even as her brows rose at Emma's knowledge. "Oh, well, in that case. You do look rather fetching in green, dear."

"Did you just give me permission to beat the shit out of Daniel?" the blonde's voice was full of delighted surprise.

Regina licked her lips slowly, internally happy when the movement had every iota of Emma's focus. "Only if you don't want to have sex with me for at least the next several years."

Emma's face scrunched up in consternation. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that part. Then again, with a pretty face like mine I'd probably fairly popular in prison."

"Oh, really? Hm, well if you'd rather try your chances with the dating pool in prison don't let me stop you." Her lips were pursed into a thin line as her amusement with the conversation dwindled rapidly.

"Are you kidding? I'm addicted to you, woman. I would be jonesing for a taste of you within twenty-four hours." She smiled warmly, her eyes caressing Regina's face with a tenderness that made the brunette woman's heart stutter with its intensity.

"Hm," came the noncommittal sound from her throat. She pulled away from Emma without any warning and stepped into her office.

Emma shot her a confused look, following in the petite woman's wake and gently tugging the door closed. Maybe she'd taken her teasing just a little too far for Regina's liking.

A light weight came to rest on either side of her shoulders as she was gently pressed back into the door. Regina was _very_ close all of a sudden, and Emma's breathing summarily escalated.

"Uh, Regina...remember I started my period today," she relayed nervously. Despite the light cramps, she definitely felt arousal, but the thought of her vulva being touched while she was such a mess was definitely not pleasant.

"Mm, there I can things I can do without you having to remove a stitch of clothing." A pink tongue darted out to lick at red lips lasciviously. "Besides, I wasn't aware of your condition when I dressed this morning." There was a secret in her smile that Emma was suddenly quite desperate to know.

Regina pulled away and carefully pulled one of the desk chairs away from the desk, situating it in the middle of the room. She walked back toward Emma, but passed her instead of approaching like the blonde anticipated. The audibly clicked shut, and she stalked back over to the desk to pull out her phone.

Soft music began to play as Regina teased the sides of the skirt of her dress up just so Emma could get a peek.

"Oh my god, are those stockings being held up by..._garters_? Oh my god is this about the stripper fantasy I _just_ told you about yesterday?" Now her pulse was thrumming steadily in her throat and groin, and her resolution to not engage in anything too risque wavered; cumming fully clothed would definitely play right into this particular fantasy.

The dark haired woman didn't verbally respond, instead swaying lightly to the music and trailing her hands over her body in a maneuver meant just to entice Emma into what they both really wanted.

Emma's body jerked as she forced her feet to move to the chair, earning an enthusiastic smile from Regina.

"Mm, good girl," Regina purred as she strode over straddle Emma in the chair. She leaned in so that her lips were just a hair's breadth away from trembling pink ones. "If you're a _really_ good girl, I'll let you thank me in whatever way you like."

She let out a breathy moan as she began to gently thrust her hips into Emma's hard abdomen. Pale hands reflexively moved to settle on her hips, but Regina battled them away with a smirk.

"Uh-uh, that's naughty," A finger wagged in Emma's face to emphasize Regina's point. She settled her hands over Emma's and firmly moved them so they were resting on the arms of the chair.

Regina leaned her wait on the chair arms temporarily as she stepped back onto her feet and turned. She leaned over jutted her ass out, teasingly pulling her skirt up further so Emma could just barely see the smooth skin of her derriere.

Emma's breathing was so fast she thought she would hyperventilate.

The brunette slowly settled back so she was seated on Emma's lap, her hands braced on the arm rests as she slowly began to grind her ass into Emma's womanhood.

"Be good Emma, and _then_ you can touch me," her voice was a breathy from the excitement of what they were doing in her office.

"Fuck," Emma groaned as she stared down at Regina's gyrating body.

"Only if you're good Emma. Are you going to be good?"

"Fuck," she repeated. This woman would be the death of her some day.

* * *

><p>Regina was deliciously tired when she got home, and a little sore. A smirk settled onto her face when she recalled the extended lunch break she and Emma had engaged in that very morning. At least, that's what she'd told Astrid when the woman had given her a curious look.<p>

That had been the best part of her day, and considering how horrible the rest of her day had been, she was glad she'd indulged the urge she'd planned before the drama with Daniel had unfolded.

She hadn't even been able to spend time with Henry like she'd really wanted to do. She'd spent the day on the line with Abigail as she tried to hammer out the details they needed to cover before dissolving MBI to reform under a new name.

At a certain point, Abby had even made a solid case for not actually dissolving the firm or drastically changing the name. There was a certain name brand recognition familiar with MBI after so many years of service, and locking Daniel out of the firm had seemed a better option.

Her friend and lawyer had further suggested that they do a re-branding; a subtle change in their logos and reconstituting the acronym MBI stood for.

After a while, she'd huffed grumpily and at least decided to consider the idea on the concession that Abby had to come up with the new meaning of the three letters that actually made sense in regards to the work the team at MBI were involved in.

She hadn't allowed herself time to really consider what Daniel would do without MBI.

Daniel.

She sighed heavily. Despite how dismissive she'd been with him, what he had tried to do and everything that happened after still hurt on an intensely personal level.

After years and years of bittersweet lows and plateaus with Daniel, she finally had a chance at an authentic happiness. Of course Daniel would try to find some way to ruin that too.

They'd been stuck in a perpetual cycle of hurting each other and then comforting each other. As she thought back over the wasted years of this, she felt a little sick. There was really nothing she could do about those times, but who knows what would have happened if things hadn't occurred precisely as they had? What if she'd never met Emma and Henry?

The thought was incomprehensible to her now. In the short time both Swans had been in her life, she'd felt the happiest she'd been since before the disastrous incidents during college had disrupted her joy for.

She sighed again. She could mourn the lost years, but she wouldn't allow herself to feel regret. Everything that had happened had brought her precisely to where she was meant to be.

A hand ran through her hair, and she stalked over to the couch to flop down onto the comfortable piece of furniture and kick her heels off. Her purse was discarded lazily next to her and she willed her thoughts toward more gratifying tangents.

Her mind had just settled on the luscious sound Emma had made when she came the first time that very morning when her phone rang. She scowled at the ceiling and reached over to pull the annoying device out of her bag.

The look on her face shifted to an intrigued one when she saw Emma's name on the display.

"Emma," the delight in he voice was apparent.

On her end of the line, Emma grinned at how happy Regina seemed to be hearing from her. It gave her courage to continue with what she'd called about. "_Hey Regina!_"

The smile bloomed on Regina's face at the equal joy she could hear in the blonde woman's voice. "Missed me already? My, my. You really are addicted."

"_Completely_," there was no hesitation in the response. Emma cleared her throat as she decided to broach the topic of her call. "_But you already knew that. I was hoping you could help me out with that since it's clearly your fault._"

"Mm, how so dear? I suppose I don't mind speaking dirty to you over the phone, but I really would rather prefer it was a bit later and I was more assured that Henry would be in bed and unable to overhear your moans." Her grin was feral.

"_Holy shit,_" the phone was pulled away as she heard Emma apologizing to Henry for her bad language over the muffled mouthpiece. A cough sounded and Emma filed away Regina's wicked admission for later. "_Actually, I was wondering if you'd be okay with me and Henry bringing you dinner. I told him you and I kind of had a crappy day, and well. It was really his idea. He said that you could probably use some cheering up and I know we're kind of kooky, but I'm sure you like us and...yeah._"

Emma smacked herself in the forehead for babbling, wishing the nervous habit would just disappear. The silence stretched on, and her palms began to grow sweaty.

Regina blinked and realized the quiet suggestion had stunned her with its wonderful thoughtfulness. One side of her mouth quirked up. "Do you think you guys would mind spending the night? I have a guest room that Henry should be more than comfortable in." She nibbled at the inside of her cheek as she waited.

"_Would that really be okay?_" Emma was shocked, but pleasantly so.

"Well, I mean, I know Henry has school tomorrow, but if that doesn't bother you then it's fine with me." She pinched at her inner thigh so she would stop rambling.

"_Hold on, let me ask Henry what he thinks._" Emma grinned as she turned to ask her son the question she was certain she already knew the answer to.

Regina fidgeted, and chuckled a moment later when she head an exuberant "Yes!" from the obviously excited boy. Affection warmed her chest and she cradled her phone with a silent sigh.

"_Well, I'm sure you heard that. I'm sure every neighbor within three apartments on each side heard that, actually._" Heavy amusement tinged Emma's voice. "_Do you have a preference for dinner?_"

"Surprise me," she relayed in a slightly emotional voice. Yes, she certainly wouldn't change anything about her past decisions if it meant she got to live in this present.

"_I think I'll let Henry pick, and again I'm pretty sure I know what the answer will be, but at least it will be a surprise to you._"

"Alright. See you in an hour?" She was hopeful.

"_Around then, yeah. We'll see how bad traffic is. I do have to pack us overnight bags too. It might be a little longer, but not by much. That okay?_"

"Definitely. See you soon."

Emma murmured a soft goodbye, and Regina sat peacefully for nearly ten minutes after the call ended. All the stress and anxiety she'd felt about her day had fully dissipated.

* * *

><p>Emma whistled a jaunty tune as she and Henry approached the door to Regina's loft.<p>

Henry was proudly carrying the large pizza box from his favorite place, excited at the chance of sharing his favorite dish with Regina. He was certain her life would change after tasting the pie, and no pizza would ever come close to satisfying a pizza craving if it wasn't from Conans.

She grinned at him and readjusted the backpacks she had hoisted over each shoulder. Her lips pursed as she looked at Henry carefully balancing the heavy box and then down at her own occupied arms. She shrugged, and used an elbow to ring the bell.

They didn't have to wait long for an answer, and Regina opened the door with an extremely welcoming expression on her face.

"That was actually pretty quick, I think you hit the hour mark." She leaned in to brush a kiss to Emma's cheek and she paused near the shell of a pale ear. "Good girl," she husked.

A shiver rocked Emma's body at the reminder of their encounter from earlier in the day, and she cleared her throat to try and think safe thoughts since Henry was giving them a suspicious look. "We should get that pie served up. It's great hot or cold, but I think you should get to experience both so you can decide for yourself.

Regina shot her a satisfied smile and turned her attention to a beaming Henry. She led her house guests further into her home, and instructed Emma to just place the bags on the couch temporarily so they could eat.

The brunette woman ended up loving the pizza, and she complimented Henry for his excellent taste.

Henry had responded by describing all the other things he thought Regina should try, and the next few hours passed in blissful domesticity as all three bonded over laughter and Kung Fu Panda 2 (at Emma's insistence).

Emma had caught Regina sniffling at the scene with the big reveal, and instead of teasing her, had wrapped an arm around her shoulders in comfort. Regina had given her a soft kiss in reward, and Emma had felt positively euphoric for some time after.

This was more of the kind of thing she'd had in mind for a point in their relationship further on down the road, but she and Regina always had a way of doing things their own way. A happy breath escaped her as the blissful realization of gentle happiness settled into her bones.

She and Henry had been happy, of course, but having Regina added to the mix really rounded things out. They felt fuller somehow; having a third person in the family just made sense – especially with Regina filling the role of that third person.

Henry was already totally in love with the woman, and Emma didn't feel too far off herself.

Eventually their evening had wound down, and Henry had reluctantly said good night an hour after his usual bed time.

She and Regina had cuddled for a while on the couch afterward until yawns kept insistently interrupting the flow of conversation.

Getting ready for bed together felt like an odd, wonderful thing, and it was like Emma got to see glimpse into the future. She liked what she saw.

They opted to just sleep; Emma was cramping rather harshly, and Regina was still a little sore from the vigorous treatment Emma had indulged her with earlier.

Emma fell asleep smirking into the soft skin of Regina's shoulder.

* * *

><p>Some hours later, they were rudely woken up by the loud sound of Regina's phone insistently going off. Regina scowled furiously and growled as she forcefully pried her eyes open to look at the time on the clock. She frowned when it displayed a time after three.<p>

"Someone better be fucking dying," she heard muttered behind her.

Regina mentally agreed as she reached for the still loudly sounding device.

"Regina Mills," she relayed in a voice rough from a combination of sleep and anger.

Her breath caught and the blood drained from her face. She responded woodenly to the questions directed at her. Her vision began to dim as she ended the call in a daze.

Emma frowned at the stiffness in Regina's body, and she reached over to turn on a bedside lamp. She panicked at the look on Regina's face.

"Regina? What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost."

It took Regina a moment to gather her bearings, and silent tears trickled down her face as she looked at Emma. Her mouth worked silently for a moment. "It's Daniel, he's been in a car accident. He was drinking...he...he drove his car right into a tree."

The blonde's mouth dropped open, and she moved to pull Regina into a tight embrace. "Is he going to be okay?"

Regina's head shook against Emma's chest, the tears still pouring incessantly down her face. "I don't know."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Only one more left.


	12. Epilogue

**A/N**: I wanted to post all 3 yesterday, but I totally lost steam after the first 12k words. Thank you for coming along on this ride. Apologies for any mistakes. Super-hella-busy with packing and such.

By now, you're all aware of mature content, but I would like to warn you all to read with caution for possible trigger warnings. I don't want to specify, but if you're feeling particularly low today you should skip until the second line break.

* * *

><p>Regina sighed as she signed the last document with a flourish and added it to her outgoing pile of correspondence. She dropped her pen and leaned back in her chair tiredly, her head easing against the head rest as she gazed up at the ceiling.<p>

The last six months had seen a lot of changes for her and MBI, and while most of them had been for the better, far too many had been for very excruciating reasons. Her eyes dropped to the framed photos on her desk. In the end, they hadn't changed anything about the firm. There had been no reason to after the phone call she'd gotten at three am that one particular night.

Even now, the memory inspired a keen hurt. Despite everything that had happened with Daniel, he'd been her best friend and the closest thing to family she'd had for years. Though her mother was still alive and upstate somewhere, Daniel had been more family than that woman ever had been.

Her hand settled on the smallest of the three frames. Daniel, when he was younger and there had been hope in his blue eyes instead of the self-loathing he'd struggled with daily. Daniel, before he'd begun drowning himself in an effort to forget – or perhaps just to ease the pain that had seemed endless to the desperate man. He'd forgotten how to be happy; he hadn't allowed himself to be happy, in fact.

Forgiveness was a little easier now after so long. Six months.

Her mind flashed back to that night, and she couldn't stop the memories from dominating her thoughts.

_Her breath felt heavy in her lungs as she'd walked into the crowded waiting room. The air felt like her greatest foe instead of the reason she was still conscious and standing._

_The space was full of the sick, the hurt, and the sad people waiting for news. Someone was always waiting._

_She approached the desk timidly, the harried woman at the desk not noticing the quiet brunette at first. The nurse gave her a tired look. There was a note of empathy in that gaze, but it was shuttered and distant. The woman had seen far too much death and sickness to manage a smile at four in the morning._

_Regina licked her lips and gathered her courage. "My friend Daniel Boyd was brought in a while ago. Traffic collision." Her lips felt stiff as she relayed the little information she knew._

_The woman tapped something out at her computer, and relayed the floor and area she could find more information at._

_She made her way to the elevator in a daze, blindly following the colored stripe the weary nurse had indicated would take her to where she needed to be._

_Emma had wanted to come with her, but they couldn't leave Henry alone. Emma had called a friend to come over with Regina's permission, but Regina had been unable to wait._

_They had no idea how long Daniel would last. She couldn't wait._

_As she reached the desk there was a dreadful sense of anticipation. Everything had taken too long. She could feel it in her bones, the knowledge that nothing good would come out of the seated woman in scrubs._

"_Daniel Boyd?" She inquired fearfully._

_The sympathetic look that she was immediately greeted with told her enough._

_She'd been too late._

_It felt oddly anticlimactic. She'd expected to walk in and for him to be alright, cerulean eyes tired but apologetic. She'd expected to be able to talk to him at least. She'd needed to tell him that even though they'd hurt each other so many times and things had been completely corrupted over time, she'd still loved him. He was still her friend. He was still her family._

_She hadn't gotten to say anything like that though._

_Daniel had simply lost the long war he'd been fighting against his demons, long trapped in the personal hell he'd created for himself. He'd been unwilling to help himself, or allow anyone to help him. She wasn't him and she couldn't understand it, not in that moment._

_Emotions churned inside her. She was so angry! How like Daniel to be so very selfish! How like Daniel to forget about her in his quest to punish himself! The fury built in her chest even as the first tears began to leak from her eyes._

_The police officer on the phone had told her that there hadn't been any skid marks, and though there hadn't been any note, it seemed like the collision with the tree had been intentional._

_No one would ever know it to look at Daniel with his easy grin and charming personality. No one had known about his daily struggle – except her. He'd gone too far though, and she couldn't try helping him any more. She couldn't keep trying when he was slowly destroying the both of them._

_Even though she knew that, she couldn't help but feel like she'd finally failed him. She'd been cruel, but so had he. He'd broken her so many times that most days she'd felt like she could barely hold herself together._

_Her fury drained just as suddenly as it had gathered. She felt tired. Life without Daniel seemed like an alien concept, but she had no choice in the matter. Daniel had taken that from her._

The tips of her fingers brushed her lips and then the smiling face she chose to be reminded of instead of that last angry, sad day.

Soft tapping at her door drew her attention, and she carefully set the small frame down before straightening in her chair and clearing her throat. "Come in," she called out just loudly enough to be heard clearly on the other side of the door.

Astrid stepped in, the sincere smile on her face easing Regina just a little bit more.

"I know you didn't have breakfast, and Leroy wanted me to bring you this." She held up a small white pastry box.

The hint of a smile showed at the corner of Regina's mouth, and she raised a brow. "Dare I ask what's in there?"

Azure eyes danced as they regarded Regina. "I think you know Leroy well enough to guess."

The former administrative assistant confidently strode over so she was standing next to Regina. She set the box down in the middle of the desk. She pulled a rolled napkin out of her pocket with a flourish, and unrolled it to proudly display a fork and a knife.

Laughter softly trickled from Regina's lips, and she opened the box cautiously. Her throat felt thick with emotion. Daniel hadn't been her only family, she'd rediscovered in the last few months.

A hand rested on her shoulder and squeezed, and Regina saw this for exactly what it was. Astrid and Leroy knew exactly what day it was, and what the day meant for her.

"Tell him thank you," she managed after a careful swallow. She refused to cry over a jelly doughnut.

Astrid lingered a few moments more, the caring smile on her face wrapping Regina's fragile emotions in warmth. She squeezed Regina's shoulder one last time before leaving.

Regina sighed, and picked up the fork and knife to start neatly cutting into the treat Leroy had picked out especially for her.

* * *

><p>A pale hand cupped a bright orange orb, carefully lining up the shot to the small hoop hanging from the back of the office door. A pink tongue poked out as viridian eyes narrowed. Her aim had been off the last several days, and she hadn't made a shot in far too long for her own personal pride.<p>

A heavy knock sounded on her door before she could release the ball, and she sighed before opening her drawer to tuck the object inside. "Yep!" she called out loudly.

Leroy poked his head in, checking to make sure she was unarmed. He'd gotten hit in the head a few times when he'd walked in too quickly after knocking. He grunted as he took in her bored expression, walking in the room when he saw it was safe.

"Productive as always, Swan," he gruffly teased her.

Emma shrugged nonchalantly. "Regina told me she didn't want me to disturb her today." The hurt she'd felt at the detached delivery of the words tinged her voice.

A snort escaped Leroy as he settled down in the seat opposite her. "Since when do you listen to what she says?"

A sneaky smile grew on her face. "What? I listen to her...a lot of the time." The drawer was pulled open as she tugged the small orange ball out again, and she began rolling and squeezing it between her hands. "I just wanted to give her at least a little time to process," she admitted.

A low grunt sounded. "Makes some sense to me." Leroy eyed her for a moment. "You and Henry figure out what you wanted to do so she isn't as mopey?"

A hand tugged through Emma's locks roughly. "Yeah, but it's not easy. We're both a little unsure. I mean, it's totally understandable that she's still mourning a man that was her best friend for most of her life, and that she was in love with at one point."

"That is true," he responded carefully. "There's been a lot of changes around here too, and I think that helps the process along."

"Maybe," she admitted. "But Henry and I are still worried. She still gets happy and stuff, but it's like...I don't know. I think she still feels guilty." The orange ball squeaked in protest when she squeezed it tightly. "I know I still kinda do."

"Well ya know, I ain't no shrink, but I do know that everyone involved was an adult. You all made your own choices, and Daniel made his. None of this is yours or Regina's fault."

Emma blew out a heavy breath. "I think we both know that logically, but the world doesn't run on logic alone."

Leroy pursed his thick lips at her declaration. "You been staying up late watching old eps of _The Twilight Zone_ again? Rod Serling stuff, right?"

A grin flashed on Emma's face. She'd told Leroy about her odd obsession one day on a stakeout when he'd made her admit she'd been having some trouble sleeping. There was a timeless quality to the old original show, and she'd found the subjects it confronted to be far more profound than most modern options. "Best stuff they've added to Netflix in ages."

"Alright Swan. I'm not gonna pussyfoot around this. You need to pull your shit together. Astrid and I have seen the funk the two of you have gotten in to the last month. Hell, even Henry is worried. He said you guys have been unusually quiet." His flinty grey eyes were drilling into her face unapologetically.

She shrugged again, nervously nibbling on her lip. She averted her eyes to the desktop, where she began to roll the ball around. "I've been trying to talk to her, but she's been shutting me out. I'm a little worried that she's going to call things off." Her teeth gritted as she finally admitted what had been keeping her awake.

"I thought we were doing fine. I mean, it's been difficult with what happened, but we got a little closer because of it all too. At least, we were." She was ashamed to feel a sting of tears hit her eyes, and she silently vowed to stare at the orange ball until the feeling passed.

"Can I see that?" Leroy angled his head, one hand outstretched.

She blinked at him in surprise and looked down at her ball. "Uh, sure?" The sad feeling was replaced by surprise, and she leaned over to deposit the ball into his large, meaty hand.

Leroy observed the round object, squeezing it lightly to test it. He looked up at her with a smile, before an angry grimace flashed on his face a moment before he threw the ball so it smacked her right on the forehead.

"Hey!" Emma squawked in protest, one hand rubbing the pink spot on her face. The ball was fairly soft, but the shock of being hit still jolted her nerves. "What was that for?"

"You're an idiot if you think she's going call things off. It's obvious to everyone that she's crazy in love with you. And Henry, for that matter. You're probably what's kept her together while she's mourned Daniel. Look, what happened with Daniel was a terrible tragedy, but no one was really surprised. Regina tried and tried to get him back into rehab, but he was just determined to do what he wanted. It's just a shame Regina was caught along for that ride."

He quietly watched her for a few moments. "Don't be such a defeatist Swan, buck up and take care of your girl."

"Hey, just because I said I was scared she was going to call it off doesn't mean I'm giving up." She reached down to pull the drawer of her desk open again and fumbled around for a moment. A manila envelope was pulled out and tossed on the opposite side of the desk where Leroy could reach it.

He frowned at her curiously and reached for the envelope. Large hands gently pulled it open to reveal a stack of papers. He eyed her a moment before reading the top sheet, his brows raising after a few moments. "Is this what I think it is?"

Verdant eyes glinted. "Yep. It's kind of odd for a sixth month anniversary present, and technically I should have given it to her a few days ago, but I wanted to save it for today."

"This isn't everything though, is it? Do you have something scheduled? A stack of papers might be a little underwhelming," his lips twitched with amusement as he impishly scolded her.

"Jeez, nothing's ever good enough for you Grumpy-face," a smile tugged at her lips as she nodded. "Yeah, I have something set up. I hope she'll go for it. I'm not sure how she's feeling these days." Her face grew solemn as she voiced her concern again.

Leroy debate teasing her more, but decided against it with the look on her face. He could see Emma was genuinely concerned. He carefully slid the sheaf of papers back into the large envelope and slid it back over the desk. "I think you'll be find Emma. What you've done there...that's, well Regina would have to be an idiot to not see it for what it is. And I tell you what sister, Regina is no idiot."

Emma beamed at him, grateful for the vote of confidence. She'd need it by the end of the day if she was going to bring the contents of the envelope up.

* * *

><p>Regina bit her lip as she looked at her phone. She was feeling like quite a coward. She was too scared to tell Emma in person, but even though she'd psyched herself up to at least send a text, she still found herself floundering to send out something she needed to say.<p>

She glanced to the framed photos on her desk and blew out a breath. She could do this. It took her a few moments to try and type it out the best way she knew how. White teeth nibbled at her lower lip as she re-read the words, hoping it didn't come off as too harsh.

They'd been together for about sixth months now, and they'd had a small, quiet celebration a few nights ago. Regina had planned to be honest then, but she'd chickened out at the last minute. She didn't want Emma to be getting the wrong idea about their relationship, but since she'd lost Daniel so permanently, she found herself to be a lot more tentative when it came to Emma and Henry.

She refused to second guess herself further, and she hit the send button. She released a heavy breath, both relieved and anxious to see how Emma responded.

Her anxiety grew as the minutes passed and she still hadn't received a response. A loud knock on her door had her breathing escalated, and she knew exactly who it was.

She cleared her throat. "Come in."

Emma stormed in, clearly upset and holding up her phone. "What the hell is this?"

Regina's lips parted. Emma was more upset than she'd thought, and she ran a hand nervously through her hair. "It's just for a week...or so."

She could see the blonde woman's jaw work for a moment before she visibly slumped. Emma seemed unfathomably tired quite suddenly. "Alright," she said quietly.

"I-it's just, I," she licked her lips. "I just need a few days to myself."

Emma's internal lie detector pinged, and she looked at Regina mournfully. "Alright."

Brown eyes flicked over the wounded look, and she forced some more words out. "Everything will be fine, Emma."

When her internal lie detector pinged this time, Emma didn't let her upset show. She'd hoped that things would get better after a while, but she'd known something was wrong as the few days of quiet turned into a few weeks of quiet.

They'd come up on a somewhat important mark in most relationships, and unfortunately Regina was reacting far differently than she'd expected. Maybe she'd been too scared to say 'I love you', but it had never felt like the right time when the brunette was obviously mourning.

Things had been fine, and sometimes even great. She could recall many weekends spent at the loft, just the three of them hanging out and laughing. They'd gone out to do things too, even taking a few trips as their own small, unique little family.

Maybe she and Henry had been staying over at the loft too much. She'd thought it was okay, especially since more than half the time they ended up there by invite. The other times had been more casual and it had just gotten late and seemed like a good idea to stay. She hadn't known that it was stifling Regina. At least, it obviously must have been.

She swallowed as she looked down at the screen of her phone.

_'Please don't take this the wrong way, but I would like it if you and Henry wouldn't stop by the loft for about a week or so.'_

A familiar sting hit her eyes and she looked away from the message. Yeah, there's no way she could take that the wrong way. The sense of impending doom that had pricked at the back of her mind the last month became a deafening roar.

She had a feeling that once the requested week was up, she would know exactly what would be coming next. She had no idea how she was going to tell Henry.

Regina bit her lip, brow furrowed. She had no idea what to say in the heavy silence. "Perhaps we can meet somewhere for dinner somewhere a few times instead?"

A familiar numbness settled over Emma. "No, that's alright. Henry and I will be fine on our own." She swallowed a few times so the urge to cry would pass. She kept her eyes low so Regina wouldn't be disturbed by the obvious emotion.

The seated woman frowned at the response. She hadn't particularly liked the word choice, but she didn't want to start an argument. Things had been different the last month or so, and there had been an unfamiliar tension between them during the last week in particular. She'd thought that perhaps the two impending anniversaries of their relationship and Daniel's death were just a bit too much, but now she wasn't sure.

She bit her lip as she considered that. It wasn't fair to keep track of his death alongside their relationship, but she couldn't help the timing. It wasn't fair to Emma or Henry, especially since she'd chosen them over him in the end anyway.

She couldn't explain why it was so important to her, but she knew it wasn't exactly healthy. It had been six months. She needed to stop bringing him up when the subject of their relationship did. She knew that.

Emma spoke again, and her tone of voice was oddly impersonal. "Look, I had something planned for later. Ruby is going to hang out with Henry, and I was hoping," she held up her phone, "despite this you might humor me? Just for this evening."

Regina wasn't quite sure what one had to do with the other, she _had_ offered to still meet for dinner after all. "Of course," she responded with a light sense of bewilderment.

"Okay," Emma nodded along reflexively. "It would be best if we left a little before we're officially off. It might take us a little bit to get there, and it's kind of a time sensitive thing. Ruby's picking Henry up right after school." She didn't bring up that she'd originally intended to take Regina out to dinner afterward if it wasn't too late. It didn't seem like a good idea now.

The brunette felt a little pang at not being able to get to see Henry that afternoon, but she sighed a little and decided she just needed to get over it. Things would be changing for them all soon enough.

"Do I get a hint about what we'll be doing or where we'll be going?" She couldn't hide her natural curiosity.

Emma's smile was a little melancholy. "Nope, I'm not ruining the surprise."

Regina felt intrigued, and she smiled warmly at Emma. "Alright, I'll allow you your surprise."

The blonde snorted and shifted back on her heels. "How generous of you Miss Mills."

They shared an affectionate smile, the warmth of their bond kindling with familiar banter.

The smile dropped off of Emma's face, and she cleared her throat. "I'll just be going now," she was out the door before Regina could respond.

Regina sighed and stared at the closed door for a while after she'd gone.

* * *

><p>Emma spared a small smile at her lover as they reached her car. A few months into their relationship Regina had given in when it came to the faded yellow bug, and the memory of their first ride together made her grin.<p>

It dimmed a little as they settled into the small car, but she didn't want to let the bittersweet feelings linger. They weren't over yet, and she wanted to enjoy the time Regina did allow them. Perhaps, she could even change the brunette's mind.

She spared a glance at her contemplative girlfriend and sighed. Once Regina's mind was made up, it was incredibly difficult to change it. They'd gotten in to a few explosive arguments over the months, though they'd always managed to figure things out. Always.

She supposed it was different when you still felt so passionately about everything. She'd take the fighting over the silence. At least the arguments had been full of fire...this...emptiness between them seemed cold and impersonable.

Regina gave her an odd look, and she realized that they'd been sitting in the car for a few minutes and she hadn't even turned it on yet.

"Sorry," she relayed sheepishly and slid the key into the ignition.

She carefully pulled out, and the first thirty minutes of the drive were relatively quiet as they made their way out of the city. Regina was sending her curious looks every now and then, but Emma refused to spoil the surprise.

Once they were away from the worst of the traffic, she couldn't bear the silence any more. She wanted to get to say some things before it was too late. "Look, I know things have a little weird the last month, but you know how Henry and I feel about you, right?"

"Of course," Regina demurred lowly.

Emma cursed internally. Of course that was part of the problem, wasn't it? She and Henry had been too smothering.

"I mean, I'm sorry if we've been a little too much for you. I know it's a big difference going from living alone to suddenly having the two of us around. I know we can get pretty rowdy," a wry smile passed over her face, and she winced at the honesty of her own words.

Regina snorted and spoke dryly, "That's putting it lightly."

A sick feeling settled in Emma's stomach. She lost her train of thought and tightly squeezed the steering wheel.

The sudden silence seemed incredibly loud.

Umber eyes blinked, and Regina bit the inside of her cheek. "Did you bring that up for a particular reason?" It had certainly felt like Emma had brought the topic up with a goal in mind.

Emma's throat worked convulsively. "It's just, I mean, I wanted you to know that I get it okay?"

"Okay," Regina drawled slowly, unsure where the conversation was headed.

"I mean, I completely understand why you need some space. At least, I'm pretty sure I've figured it out."

Regina's pulse accelerated and her earlier anxiety returned. "Oh?" She tried to keep her tone even. "How do you feel about it?"

Viridian eyes shot her a surprised look. "You really have to ask that?" Anger and hurt tinged her words.

Red lips parted, and an odd feeling settled on Regina's spine. She started to speak, but Emma interrupted her before she could utter a syllable.

"I just want you to know, that what I arranged today...what I tried to do for you today. It doesn't have to change anything. Don't feel guilty or like you owe me or something for it. I just did it because I thought it would make you happy." Emma congratulated herself on getting all the words out. She'd wanted to say she did it because she loved Regina, but it would seem like far too little, far too late.

The odd feeling intensified in Regina, and she was completely confused. "Emma, pull over."

_Fuck_, Emma thought. She'd still managed to say something wrong. She swallowed hard and nodded, taking the first exit to a rest area she could find.

She pulled into a space furthest from any other cars and slid her bug into park. She turned the car off, but remained looking forward.

Regina watched her intently, and she decided to bite the bullet. "Emma, what on earth are you talking around? What is it that you think is going on?"

Emma turned to face her with a scowl. "I just wanted to let you know that I understand where you're coming from, and I understand why this is happening. I mean, I don't like it. I don't like it at all. In fact, I think I _hate_ it."

A concerned look settled on Regina's face. "What are you talking about?"

Pale cheeks flushed with heat. Emma was angry that Regina was making her say it. "Fine, you want me to say it? I fucking hate that you're breaking up with me, but I understand that Henry and I are just...I understand we're a bit too much."

Surprise washed over Regina's features and her mocha eyes glistened for a moment before she snapped. "You think I'm _breaking up with you_?" The fury and confusion in her voice was palpable.

Emma's eyes widened much like an animal caught in the headlights of a car and about to become roadkill. "Y-you mean you're not?"

Regina pursed her lips and reached over to pinch Emma's arm sharply.

"Ow, hey!"

"Don't 'hey' me! How could you think I would break up with you, I love you! I love Henry! At this point I'm fairly certain the next week is going to be horrible without being able to have you at the loft!" Her nostrils were flared and her breathing was heavy as she finished.

"Well, what the hell? Why would you tell me you wanted to have a week apart?!" Emma was more confused than angry, but her voice was raised purely because of adrenaline.

"I'm having the loft remodeled because I wanted to ask you and Henry to move in! I wanted everything ready so that it would be harder for you to say no!" Regina reached out to slap at Emma's leg to emphasize her words.

"Oh." Emma's eyes were wide. "Oh!" she repeated. "God, well how the hell was I supposed to know that? You've been so quiet and distant and I haven't known what to do."

"I was nervous about asking you to move in," Regina admitted shyly, her eyes dropping to rest on the fidgeting hands in her lap. "I know you said that you haven't really had any relationships of meaning since Henry was born. I didn't want to push you."

Emma sat in a stunned silence for a few moments. "Wait, you said you love me?"

"Of course, you idiot!" Regina huffed and crossed her arms, looking out the passenger side window in embarrassment.

She turned when she heard the sound of Emma's seat belt being undone, and her eyes widened when she saw Emma jerk her car door open. She walked swiftly around the front of the vehicle, and vigorously pulled Regina's door open.

Regina opened her mouth to speak, but Emma leaned in to steal her words with a solid kiss.

Their lips slid together reverently, the contact especially captivating after a few weeks of absence. Regina had been too nervous, and Emma hadn't wanted to push her. Now, that all melted away as their bond was reaffirmed.

Emma pulled away just enough so she could speak, panting lightly as she fought the arousal that swept through her body like a tsunami of need. "I love you too."

"Mm," Regina purred, her eyes closed. She'd missed kisses like that. They'd only cuddled and shared a rather chaste affection in the last month or so.

Her eyes opened to tiny slits and she took in their surroundings. The rest area was fairly deserted, only a large truck visible all the way on the other side of the lot.

An olive hand reached down to push the seat back as far as it would go, which admittedly wasn't very far. She reached for the reclining lever and pushed the seat back as far as it would go. "Emma," she murmured seductively. "Come here."

Emma's eyes darted around them for only a moment before she straddled Regina's thighs, carefully pulling the passenger door closed behind her.

Their lips were fused together again almost as soon as the door was shut, Regina ravenously sucking first at Emma's lower lip, then at her tongue.

She moaned as she slid one hand down under the waist of Emma's slacks and past cotton underwear to cup at moist heat. Emma was soaked and ready, and Regina grinned into the kiss.

"Stop smirking and tou—oh," her words ended in a moan as Regina began a slow, steady rhythm.

Breath passed heatedly between them, and Emma's hands cupped Regina's head, her fingers tangling in the dark locks as she slowly moved above the woman she loved. Their mouths and tongues entwined, the kisses acting out their mutual love and want.

Emma pulled a hand away, softly trailing her nails along Regina's smooth, unblemished skin. Goosebumps erupted all over the available skin, and her hand dipped daringly down the front of Regina's blouse.

Regina moaned into the mouth above her as Emma tenderly tugged and kneaded at her sensitive flesh.

She pulled away, panting. "Emma," her words were a breathy whisper. "I need you."

Emma's chest heaved with suppressed emotion at the words, and she slid her hand down and then up under the fabric of Regina's skirt. A frustrated sound escaped her throat at the awkward angle, and she pulled away to carefully tug the fabric up so Regina's damp underwear was exposed to the cool air of the car.

She settled back down over Regina with a sigh, smiling against the silently laughing Regina's neck before sucking softly at the spot on the brunette's shoulder that always made her gasp.

Regina gasped, both at the sensation to her neck and the hand that had brazenly pushed aside the flimsy fabric of her underwear. Emma slid inside her, and Regina moved her hand from massaging around Emma's clit to return the favor.

Soft moans sounded as they rocked gently into each other, their bodies perfectly in sync as they drew closer. Emma jerked her head up as she felt the slow tightening around her fingers to look Regina in the eye. "I love you."

Regina crashed over the edge, Emma climaxing immediately after her at the magnitude of the moment they'd shared. They slowed and rested solidly against each other, their lips meeting in a delicate series of kisses to glory in the feeling of their shared afterglow.

"I love you," Emma repeated again against pliant lips, and Regina smiled. The look they shared was heady with feelings. "I love you," Regina murmured lowly.

It didn't matter that the first time they'd said it had been in the tiny space of Emma's beat up old car, or that it was at the side of the road at a random resting area.

As Emma gazed deeply into Regina's eyes, she knew that any moment, any place she was able to say that to Regina and hear the words in return was a special one.

They cuddled for just a while longer, finally pulling out of each other with shared gasps and mellow laughter at the discomfort of their current positions.

It took some maneuvering, and a stash of napkins Emma usually kept in the glove compartment, but within ten minutes they were presentable and settled back into their own seats. They shared a smile as Emma turned the car on again, and Regina's hand cupped over hers on the gear shift.

The quiet lingered as the drive continued, but this time it was comfortable and welcoming. The moment had been powerful, and Regina would never forget the look in Emma's eyes as she'd softly relayed her feelings while they'd been joined together intimately.

She shook her head, deciding to revisit the memory later. Her curiosity about their destination returned, and she couldn't help but ask about it again.

"Emma, I love you, but could you please tell me what this trip is about now? I don't think I can take much more upheaval today," she spoke wryly.

"Hm, not a good choice of words," Emma quipped with a slight wince. When they pulled up to a stoplight she reached back to tug the manila folder from the floor of the bug just behind Regina's chair.

She brought it forward and laid it in Regina's lap, not saying anything as the light changed and she continued driving.

Regina nibbled at her lip and slowly tugged the envelope open. She looked at the sheaf of papers with more than a hint of consternation. "Emma? What is this?"

She held up the documents, detailed information about a woman she was unfamiliar with accompanied by a small photo. The woman was rather beautiful, with a shock of startlingly red hair and vivid lapis lazuli eyes.

Emma cleared her throat. "This was important to your dad, and I think to you as well."

Regina's breath caught. "Did you...?"

The blonde head nodded. "Yes. I found her. She doesn't live in this state, but she's visiting her adopted mother. I talked to her for a while, and while she was a little confused, she seemed happy at the thought of being able to meet you."

The cab of the bug grew quiet as the reality of the situation hit Regina. "You found my sister, and we're going to go meet her?" Her voice was much higher than normal.

Emma reached out a hand to squeeze at her thigh. "Yes. I hope that's okay."

Regina's hand settled over Emma's, clutching at it almost painfully. "You and Henry _are_ moving in with me after I'm finished having the remodeling done to the loft, right?"

Emma frowned at the subject change, "Pretty sure Henry wouldn't mind sleeping on your floor with sleeping bags tomorrow if you'd let us."

A dizzy feeling hit Regina, and she laughed raucously. "Emma, you mean the world to me."

Her hand squeezed Emma's hand tenderly. "Let's go meet my sister, and then go find some sleeping bags for you and Henry."

Elation swept through Emma, and as they pulled up to a house she was unfamiliar with, she knew their lives would never be the same again.

They'd be much better.


End file.
